The 5th edition of Rendez-vous du Havre opens its doors on February 29th. Since 2012, the event welcomes one photojournalist and presents his or her work with exhibits, screenings and events. After Oliver Jobard in 2015, it’s Belgian photographer and member of Agency Vu’ Gaël Turine’s turn to be the guest of 2016.
Two exhibitions under the curation of Jean-François Berville are organized around Gaël Turine’s work. The first will take place at the Bibliothèque Universitaire with “The Wall and the Fear” and the second, which can be seen at Créapolis, with the story “Voodoo”. The photographer takes us to the India-Bangladesh border where, over the course of two years, in 2012 and 2013, he photographed an unknown wall more than 3,000 km long between India and Bangladesh. Erected by Indian authorities to help the fight against terrorism and illegal immigration, it separates families and disrupts existing ties on both sides of the border. One person dies there every five days from an act of repressive violence. Next, with “Voodoo”, Gaël Turine portrays voodoo beyond the usual clichés, trying to give back its intrinsic qualities which are, before anything else, spiritual, mystical, and religious.
Two events are also on the program this year with one night led by Alain Frilet (international correspondent, former editorial director of Magnum Photos and Gamma, and founder of Parole de photographes) and one event with Gaël Turine, Olivier Jobard, and Alain Keler (three of the journalists invited to Le Havre since 2012) about their books and exhibition portfolios.
« For five years, Gaël Turine has been doing work on voodoo, its practitioners and its rites. Five years of round trips between Brussels, Africa, Haiti and the United States to be accepted into the most intimate of family ceremonies and to try to understand what takes place in the most impressive of pilgrimages.
Five years of work to offer our ignorant eyes more than simple clichés. This isn’t the first time Gaël has done something like this, far from it. But since this subject is one of the two stories that he is exhibiting at Le Havre, let’s start here.
In the year following the publication of his book Voodoo, Gaël discovered the existence of the longest wall in the world: it separates India from Bangladesh. A wall with serious consequences for the populations it divides. The longest wall, and, perhaps, the most violent.
In the most classic of fashions, and convinced that he had a “real subject” here, the photojournalist went around to the editorial staff in search of orders which would allow him to finance his work and, additionally, make his living.
However, not one of the people he talked to (editors, heads of photography department) knew of the wall’s existence, while he had no doubt about it.
As he did not receive any assignment, grants allowed Gaël to undertake this work that we present in Le Havre. A project to which he dedicated two years of his life as a photographer, helped by Indian and Bangladeshi journalists and local NGO activists. During his two years photographing, he also collected multiple testimonies to introduce the wall to those unaware of its existence. That being a great deal of us. »
Jean-François Berville, Curator
FESTIVAL
Gaël Turine : 5th Rendez-vous with a photojournalist at Le Havre
Organised by Deux Tiers, University library of Havre andCréapolis
• Exhibitions
From February 29th to April 15th, 2016
Le mur et la peur
University library
25, rue Philippe Lebon
76600 Le Havre
France
Voodoo
Créapolis
79, avenue René Coty
76600 Le Havre
• Conversation with Gaël Turine, Alain Keler and Olivier Jobard. Book signing.
On March 5th, 2016 at 4.30pm
Créapolis
79, avenue René Coty
76600 Le Havre
• Meeting Mondays of popular University
On March 7th, 2016 at 6.30pm
University of Le Havre
UFR Lettres & sciences humaines
Amphi A5
25, rue Philippe Lebon
76600 Le Havre
http://www.gaelturine.com
