Anatopees

One day in 1996, I was struck by the curious resemblance between two photographs in my collection. Although taken in different countries, both followed the same graphic structure: a vertical form placed at the centre of a landscape. My preoccupation then – “what to photograph?”– found inspiration in what was perhaps nothing more than coincidence. A peculiar solution came to me: to “take the same photograph anywhere in the world”. As such, these two model images gave way to the collection of new ones, centred on the same graphic principle of the vertical form. But aside from the anticipated similarities, there appeared, over time, differences, shifts and elements that could complement each other, to be put together with greatest care. Assemblies of four images were thus gathered together, presenting themselves for comparison, within a layout justified by the original vertical form. The photographic material that generated these assemblies is a collection of several thousand images, constantly expanded by the latest pictures taken. Sequences thus appear in the continual journey that rejuvenate the reading of the entire series, where the most recent images are contrasted against the oldest archives. There is thus an inverse supply loop between image capture and production. This is a never-ending work in progress, suspended between an unlikely project and tangible incompletion; the current collection contains pictures taken in approximately thirty countries.

Arnaud Lesage ; Translation : Niamh O’Brien & Rhonda Campbell


Pigment prints 21,5" in width and 55" in height (55 x 142 cm)

"ANATOPEES" is a neologism, from the greek roots "ana" and "topos".
Slideshow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGhwl0oSiy0