A Breathtaking holds a peculiar power in its unfinished nature. On one hand,
it speaks to the majestic and sublime, suggesting visions of grandeur that
take the breath away in awe and admiration. On the other, it hints at a sudden
interruption, a gasp at realizing the meaning of fragility. The unfinished
phrase becomes a lens into emotional landscapes that leave us suspended
between beauty and the unknown.
Julien Chatelin’s exhibition reflects this very tension, offering a poetic
exploration of the ephemeral, the delicate, and inevitable transformations.
His images carve out spaces of openness and suspense, leaving room for
infinite possibilities while subtly hinting at loss or silence.
The works on view delve into territories in transition, where contrasting forces
collide. Topographies are charged with opposing energies, revealing a silent
battle between cities and nature, humanity and its environment. These
spaces carry a profound ambivalence, suggesting both fecundity and
sterility, promise and emptiness. In this interplay, Chatelin explores the
tension between stillness and movement, the visible and the invisible, the
vast and the intimate, capturing the fractured realities of contemporary
society.
Through the dual display of vernacular and the distress of fragmented
societies, A Breathtaking offers a singular reading into capitalist
development, inviting reflection on the complexities of growth and decay.
Meaning, in this exhibition, is not made through completion but through the
spaces in between, where contradictions find their voice.
The photographs shown have been curated from four series: Egyptorama,
The Beaver and the Cadillac (Detroit), China West and Siberian Limbo
(Norilsk)
Julien Chatelin
Julien Chatelin is a visual artist whose practice blends documentary, portraiture, landscape, and recomposed narratives. While addressing social and political issues, his work also delves into philosophical and aesthetic questions, presented as evocative tableaux.
Over the past 15 years, Chatelin has explored territories in transition, using a large-format camera to capture the tensions shaping these landscapes. In 2011, he produced Egyptorama, a road trip through Egypt’s semi-desert regions that earned him the Camera Clara Prize in 2013. This series marked the first chapter of a broader poetic and topographic investigation, which he later expanded to Detroit, MI; Western China; Norilsk, Siberia; and the Brazilian Amazon. Although each series engages with distinct social issues, they converge on an aesthetic and conceptual level, examining the cyclical transformation of our environments.
In 2004, he spent three years creating a visual fresco of Israeli society: Israel Borderline. This project was exhibited at Cannes’s Espace Miramar in 2008, accompanied by a 160-page monograph published by Images en Manoeuvre. It earned him the title of Photographer of the Year at the
All About Photo Awards in 2016.
His work has appeared in leading international publications and has been exhibited at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, the Centre de la Photographie in Geneva, Somerset House in London, and numerous galleries and international festivals.
Chatelin holds a BFA from NYU, co-founded the iconic De l’air magazine, and is a former member of the Rapho agency.
julienchatelin.com
@jchatelin
All About Julien Chatelin
