Exhibition “Portrait(s) de ville”

Philippe du Crest solo exhibition

27 September – 31 October 2024

Chapel of the Pénitents bleus
Bd. Anatole-France
13600 La Ciotat
www.laciotat.com

Tuesday to Saturday
10am-12.30pm/14pm-6.30pm
Exceptionally open Sunday 6 October, 10am-12.30pm

Exhibition organised by the City of La Ciotat, at the Chapelle des Pénitents bleus.
A brochure has been published to mark the occasion, text by Nathalie Béreau.

Portrait(s) of a city/ , Philippe du Crest – 2023-2024

Just a stone’s throw from Marseille, the town of La Ciotat has become famous for its expertise in shipbuilding, for its film industry with the Lumière brothers and the world’s first cinema, the Éden Théâtre in 1899, and for its creation of pétanque in 1907, derived from the Provençal game. Among other things.
Behind this story, which looks like a holiday postcard or a celebration, lies the reality of a city today.
With Portrait(s) de ville, his new photographic series, Philippe du Crest sketches out in some 70 portraits an initial panorama with a precise objective: to make La Ciotat and its inhabitants the subject of his photographic research initiated since the Agents de Lumière series in 2012.

Here, the project differs in that the human being – at the centre of the frame, as is the photographer’s wont – becomes a subject within a second frame, the city.
Over a period of several months, Philippe du Crest met and interacted with local residents, building up a gallery of portraits through a dialogue between photographer and model. The uniqueness of his approach is that he voluntarily involved the residents in their city, selecting the setting by mutual agreement.

On his own initiative, the photographer then took the project forward with the town council and the cultural department, culminating in this exhibition at the Chapelles des Pénitents bleus, featuring a selection of some fifty prints on glossy matte paper mounted on Dibond, as well as a projection of the other portraits. The exhibition is complemented by two group photographs, one taken in a local retirement home, the other at the Lycée Méditerranée, both with a special setting.

This non-exhaustive cartography of the city extends from the image to its caption, defining, like an identity card, the inhabitant’s first name, their social function or a few words about how they define themselves, the place where the photograph was taken.
So, without going through the list of all the photographs, we can see a certain diversity of profiles, both human and landscape, highlighting the town’s location close to nature – between the sea and the old quarries – as well as the emblematic sites.
As for the inhabitants, they are local figures, sometimes international celebrities, or simple people with endearing personalities.
A comedian, a mattress-maker, a farmer, a photographer, a clown, an erotic poetess, a rapper, a musician, a choreographer, a Cape Verdean waitress, a young man with Down’s syndrome… all captured in light that is often morning or evening, giving them a certain softness.
The photographer barely retouches or reframes, drawing frontal silhouettes with proud eyes and imposing stature in bright, shimmering, luminous colours, with the city as another backdrop.
Nathalie Béreau, août 2024

Daniéla, portrait by Philippe du Crest, photography

Matira, portrait by Philippe du Crest, photography

Robert au vrai, portrait by Philippe du Crest, photography