For the 20th edition of the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie, the executive committee, led by artistic director François Cheval, selected Maia Flore and Guillaume Martial as the winners from among the hundreds of submissions. Guillaume’s work is a reflection on the body in space, as seen in his series like Le Modulor and My Provence. At 30, Martial, a retired figure skater, studied cinema before falling for photography. Since 2012, his work has received many prizes and been featured in various exhibitions, including the Festival Circulation(s), which runs through March 8th in Paris.
Today we’re sharing a selection of the award-winning photographs.
“Space is a bodily experience. That is how we fill it, occupy it and feel it. In the avant-garde tradition of the 1970s, Martial uses his athletic physique as a semantic marker. He lays the foundation for a jubilant, personal and colorful alphabet. Like Jacques Tati, Martial places his body/sign into the framework of a binding geometry. This new grammar aims to introduce disorder and absurdity into the structure of the world.”
François Cheval, Artistic Director, 2015
L’Oeil de la Photographie: What was your reaction to winning the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie? And what does it mean for you to be the winner of this 20th edition?
Guillaume Martial: Receiving an award is always encouraging, especially one that is such an important part of the photography and contemporary art scene today. It provides its winners with an incredible amount of exposure. I’m very lucky. This award confirms my past three years of work at the beginning of my journey. My style is going to evolve, but the foundation is there.
LODLP : Can you tell us about the series you submitted for this edition of the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie?
GM : The series is a portfolio of images taken from different series, almost all shot as part of artistic residencies and commissions. The series is in some ways a synthesis of my current approach to photography, all while forming a coherent whole.
LODLP : For the first time, the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie will be supporting the production of a series to be exhibited at the Maison de la Photographie in Lille next December. Do you already have an idea of what you want that series to be?
GM : For my future projects, I plan to continue combining sports and architecture, to question reality, space and urban development, and to keep going further…
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS IN FRANCE
Laureate Prix HSBC pour la photographie 2015
Maja Flore & Guillaume Martial
• Galerie le Réverbère
From April 2nd to May 2nd, 2015
38 rue Burdeau
69001 Lyon
• Galerie Esther Woerderhoff
From May 12th to June 6th, 2015
36 rue Falguière
75015 Paris
• Musée de la Photographie André Villers
From June 20th to Septembre 20th, 2015
Porte Sarrazine
06250 Mougins
• L’Arsenal
From October 2nd to November 1st 2015
3 avenue Ney
57000 Metz
• Maison de la Photographie
From 3 to 30 December 2015
28 rue Pierre Legrand
59000 Lille
France
http://hsbc.fr/prixhsbc
CURRENT EXHIBITION
Le Modulor
Guillaume Martial
In part of Circulation(s) festival
From January 24th to March 8th, 2015
Gare Paris Nord
75018 Paris
France
http://www.festival-circulations.com
http://www.guillaumemartial.fr
