Leica Gallery London presents an exhibition by Pierre Gonnord. Employing the stark effect of juxtaposition, ‘Nature Tales’, is a series of images that evocatively capture the profound connection between humans and animals.
‘Nature Tales’ is the first showcase of Gonnord’s new diptychs portraying the relationship between man and animal. Drawing on the rich visual tapestry of time-old fables of mythical animals and magical creatures, Gonnord matches every animal with a human counterpart in an aesthetically compelling way. The viewer is invited to look beyond the genetic origin of each subject, feel their individual personality and the relationship between the pair.
A self-taught photographer, Gonnord first caught the photography world’s attention with his extraordinary portraits of people on the outskirts of society, such as prisoners and gypsies. Inspired by Velázquez, Rembrandt and Goya, Gonnord used compositions traditionally seen in 17th and 18th century portraiture. On how he conveys the hidden beauty and individuality of his subjects, Gonnord explains: “I choose my contemporaries in the anonymity of big cities because their faces narrate unique remarkable stories about our era. Sometimes hostile or distant and almost always fragile behind the opacity of their masks. They represent specific social realities and another concept of beauty. I also try to approach the unclassifiable, timeless individual to suggest things that have been repeated over and over since time began.”
Leica Gallery London’s exhibition, ‘Nature Tales’ features seven diptychs and one single photograph from Gonnord’s latest body of work.
Pierre Gonnord : Nature Tales
from 13 December 2019 – 19 January 2020
Leica Gallery London
