Filipe da Rocha A Part of Us

Transcription

1 Communication Galerie Huit Arles Filipe da Rocha A Part of Us Exhibition from July 2 until September 23, 2018 From July 2 until July 7: Every day - 11h-13h, 15h-19h From July 10 until August 15: Tuesday to Saturday - 11h-13h, 15h-19h From August 28 until September 23: Tuesday to Saturday - 11h-13h, 15h-19h And by appointment Filipe da Rocha, Courtesy Galerie Huit Arles

2 A Part of Us A Part of Us is the photographic project of a toponymic odyssey across the United States, which, using only city names as a guiding thread, allows us to explore the nation s international roots of, at a time when its borders are closing. The title A Part of Us contains the project s two focus points of the project, and its duality. The first captures American cultural diversity as a whole, from East to West, and North to South. The other produces images that, paradoxically, will remind us that this country is ultimately an immense worldwide immigration puzzle. Filipe s trip starts in Amsterdam in the state of New York and ends in Avignon, California, passing through cities that can be found across the five continents; Moscow, Sydney, Johannesburg, Berlin, Damas, Tripoli, Pekin, Bethune. The European continent, including the United Kingdom and France, is well represented. The origin behind these city names reveals a collection of peculiar stories. They deserve to be collected in the same way as images are captured. Evidently, we find in them an amusing homeland nostalgia. Such as Paoli in Pennsylvania or Corsica in South Dakota. Past conflicts between England and France over this territory also contributes to its strange mapping. Each time, I d like someone to tell me about the city s history, how it got its name, and what it says about its past." Napoleon City in Missouri (Lafayette County) is just a few miles away from Wellington, named after the victorious general at Waterloo. In some cases, the naming of these cities occurred for economic reasons. The Pacific Union alone created a city every hundred kilometres during the railway construction rallying the east to the west, creating towns such as Peru (for its Peruvian workers), Brighton or Belgrade. In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railway founded the city of Bismarck in honour of Otto von Bismarck, then Chancellor of the German Empire, in the hope of attracting German migrants for their carpenter skills. Melbourne in Florida, formerly named Crane Creek; takes its name from Cornthwaite John Hector, the city s English postman who had spent much of his life in Melbourne, Australia. Cornthwaite was so appreciated by his peers that, to honour his memory, they renamed their town, thus burying him in the American Melbourne. There s an abundance of incredible places on this road. A good example is the ghost town of Toulon, which lies in the Nevada desert, with no waterfront, nor military port, after it was abandoned at the end of the Second World War, with its tungsten mines now obsolete. It has remained intact, with its houses, train station and rusty cars that, in turn, seem ready to leave. There is also Calais and its inhabitants, descendants of immigrants, whilst Calais in France has become the symbol of controversial and undesirable immigration. Most of these stories have been left forgotten, leaving only their town name as a clue to their history.

3 Filipe da Rocha, Courtesy Galerie Huit Arles Filipe da Rocha Filipe da Rocha Please respect the copyright! There is no charge when using in connection with reporting on the exhibition, A Part of Us (July 2 - September 23, 2018) at Galerie Huit Arles. These images are only to be used once and only for press purposes promoting the exhibition, A Part of Us. They are supposed to be printed in full, i.e. may not be cropped, nor tipped sideways or overwritten. Please send us two copies of your article.

4 Biography Filipe da Rocha is a French photographer born in Coimbra, Portugal, now residing in Avignon. A master of light and shadow, da Rocha s work skilfully uses a pictorial approach to documentary projects. After working as an illustrator alongside Hector Obalk, Filipe da Rocha worked during the 1990s as a documentarist at the Image Bank then at Sipa Press. Filipe then studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Avignon where he passed his Superior National Diploma of Plastic Arts (DNSEP). In 1999 the magazine Tecknikart commissioned him to produce a series at the frontier of fashion and documentary about castes or street people - gardeners, car tuners and the gay community within the French rap scene. Later, as a fashion photographer he collaborated with international magazines, including Elle, Marie Claire, Vogue Japan, Harper's BAAZAR, Air France Madame, also working on advertising campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent Men and Azzaro Couture ( AZZARO 50 ans d'éclat from Serge Gleizes, published in les éditions de la Martinière 2017). In 2010 he left fashion in order to devote himself to his photographic projects. In Lille he produced "L'Amérique en Nord": a series of portraits about American rock n roll culture, very present in the north of France as well as Belgium. He worked for 3 years on this immersive project, photographing groups of people influenced by American culture and condensing the result into an inventory of dress, music and lifestyle. His photography project «A Part of Us», highlights his continued exploration of a world influenced by contemporary American literature. His artistic work, authentic and unretouched, aims to go beyond the simple re-transcription of reality. Throughout his diverse projects, Filipe explores time, travels across frontiers, and freezes motion to reveal another side of reality.

5 Galerie Huit Arles Galerie Huit Arles is situated in a 17th century mansion in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Arles, France. The Provencal town is renowned for its Roman monuments, world-class museums, the painter Vincent Van Gogh (who created some of his most celebrated works here), the Luma Foundation, and prestigious Arts Festivals. Founded in 2007 Galerie Huit Arles has acquired a solid reputation for the careful selection of its artists both established and emerging and the quality of its hangings and installations. As well as regular exhibitions and distinguished private views, the gallery hosts Art Stays for the discerning traveller, Artists Residencies and thematic workshops. Much more than just an art space, Galerie Huit Arles is a creative, inspirational and convivial venue in a magnificent location. The gallery also has a presence in the UNESCO World Heritage site of George Town, Penang. (Malaysia). Julia de Bierre Julia de Bierre is an Anglo-French author, gallerist, and heritage activist, living and working between France and Malaysia, where she was born. She attended Uplands School, Penang, and completed her education at Bristol University, UK. For many years Julia curated, restored and animated one of Switzerland s most prestigious medieval castles, using the magnificent setting for the organisation of fine and decorative art workshops and seminars. Julia de Bierre continues to write for leading international Publications; in Malaysia her work is published by Areca Books. She is a Trustee of the Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for Documentary Photography and Film (New York, Paris, Zurich, Arles), and a member of Arles Contemporain, the network of Arlesian art galleries and museums.