WHO ARE YOU ? Rémi Chapeaublanc - Martin Zarka

French portrait photographer Rémi Chapeaublanc travelled all the way from Paris to Mongolia, driven by the desire to find the answer to a deceptively simple question: “who is this person standing in front of me?”

About the artist

For his series Gods & Beasts (2011), Rémi Chapeaublanc crossed Europe and Asia up to Mongolia with his motorcycle. He produced portraits of nomadic Kazakh herders and their animals at nightfall, inside or outside the yurts, never resorting to touching up despite working in digital.

The use of chiaroscuro in the serious and unique portraits in the Gods & Beasts series immobilizes the demeanours and strengthens their stunning aspect. Rémi Chapeaublanc’s work is characterized by powerful and refined photography that is very humane, as well as engaged. Presented side by side, portraits of men and animals have equal standing, the same treatment is applied, leading viewers to question the nature of relationships between man and animals and the regime of values that everyone confers upon them.

For his last series Riding the Silent Storm, he takes us on a personal and introspective journey. Time to retrace his own steps, to reconcile with his traumatic past.