Mind’s Eye / Galerie Adrian Bondy presents North Light, an exhibition by Christian Poncet.
Born in Lyon, Christian Poncet lives in Haute-Savoie and for the last twenty years has been photographing the surrounding lakes and mountains, the magnificent and varied landscapes that many photographers dream of. Yet, over time, these beautiful spaces have become so familiar to him that he no longer notices them, at least not with a photographer’s eye, always on the lookout for new images.
The North has always attracted him. He can’t explain it: is it the ‘monotony’ of the landscapes, flat and uniform, the changing light, or that very special atmosphere that breaks with his usual surroundings?
In 2012, he set off on a week-long journey from the Bay of the Somme to Belgium, from Cayeux-sur-mer to Ostend.
“That month of May was cool and rainy, the grey sandy beaches were deserted, with only a few solitary walkers struggling to make headway against the wind in their raincoats. There was nothing to encourage me to pull out a camera.”
“But how could I resist the colourful, haphazard shacks of Berck-plage, its outdated white buildings or, a little further on, the seafront of Stella-plage: this dark stone “wall” facing the sea, overlooked by a vast car park and a wasteland with no future – with the only guardian being this bar-restaurant with the tempting sign “frites – gaufres – crèpes”( french fries, waffles and crepes).
Since then, he has returned to the region regularly, in spring or late summer. Little by little, images have accumulated, and now he could turn the page, go elsewhere, discover other horizons. But no, the North awaits him, for a long time to come.
Christian Poncet : North Light
September 14 – October 22, 2023
Saturday and Sunday, 2pm – 7pm, Tuesday to Friday by appointment
Mind’s Eye / Galerie Adrian Bondy
221 rue Saint-Jacques, 75005 Paris
06 85 93 41 92
www.mindseye.fr
