François-Xavier Gbré: Radio Ballast

French-Ivorian photographer François-Xavier Gbré produced the “Radio Ballast” series as part of the Latitudes program, of which he is the first laureate. The work is exhibited at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris from October 29, 2025, to January 11, 2026, and will tour to the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York in 2026 and to Côte d’Ivoire in 2027.

An accompanying book is co-published by Atelier EXB and the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès. (French Edition)

François-Xavier Gbré is drawn to traces. For the past fifteen years or so, he has been photographing the imprints of human activity on the landscape and architecture of the African continent. In 2024, as part of the Latitudes support program developed by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, he set out to follow the railway that runs from north to south through Côte d’Ivoire. The line was built during the French colonial era to extract the country’s natural resources and transport them to the port of Abidjan, and from there to mainland France. Gbré’s photographs are infused with a kind of latent historicity made up of multiple temporal layers: the colonial period, the post-independence years, and more recent events.

“Radio Ballast” is the title of the project. ‘Radio’ refers to the on-board communication device used by train drivers, while ‘ballast’ is the bed of crushed rock on which the rails lie. In railway jargon, the term also refers to rumours of uncertain origin: vague, unfounded news, a mixture of assumptions and gossip, interwoven and often contradictory narratives. It’s easier to imagine that such rumours come from the tracks themselves. History often resembles such a rumour. It is never simple, but rather diverse, entangled, or refracted. It falls to the artist to propose forms of synthesis, and that is precisely what François-Xavier Gbré sought to represent here.

Clément Chéroux
Curator of the exhibition
Director, Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson


About the Latitudes program
Established in 2024 by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, and the International Center of Photography (ICP), the Latitudes program supports international photographic creation by assisting in the making and dissemination of new work. Each year, a laureate selected by the three partner institutions is awarded a grant to produce an original photographic series. This body of work is then exhibited in Paris at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, in New York at the ICP, and in the laureate’s home country. To further extend its reach, a dedicated publication is co-published with the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès. By supporting artists from regions underrepresented on the international stage, Latitudes invites us to broaden our perspectives and explore new photographic horizons. In 2024, François-Xavier Gbré became the laureate of the inaugural edition of the program, dedicated to Côte d’Ivoire.
About Latitudes

Partners
FONDATION HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON
Established in May 2003 by Henri Cartier-Bresson, his wife Martine Franck, and their daughter Mélanie Cartier-Bresson, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson is a public-interest institution dedicated to the conservation of the work of its two founding photographers and its dissemination in France and worldwide, in collaboration with other leading institutional partners. The Foundation also stages exhibitions of work by other artists. The Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson has been acclaimed for 20 years as a leading institution, renowned for its rigorous exhibition program of outstanding photographic work. As a committed supporter of contemporary photography, the Foundation presents the biennial Prix Henri Cartier-Bresson Creation Award and is proud to partner with the Latitudes program, initiated by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès. In 2018, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson moved to a new 500m² space in the heart of Paris, enabling it to expand its mission to conserve and disseminate its exceptional heritage collection while encouraging new thinking and dialogue around the medium of photography.
www.henricartierbresson.org

INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution of photography and visual culture, founded by Cornell Capa in 1974 to promote politically and socially “concerned” photography and images capable of educating and changing the world. Through exhibitions, educational and public programming, and work to raise awareness at the local level, the ICP offers a space for debate and dialogue on the power of the image. Since its creation, it has organized over 700 exhibitions, thousands of lectures, and a diverse range of programs open to all.
www.icp.org