This is an exhibition of thirty images (both black & white and in colour), selected from the photographer’s production.
Portraits staged in squats in Paris and London, extracted from the series ” Fin de siècle “, are displayed alongside the introspective still-lives of ” Un Horpe ailleurs ” and photographs documenting the adventure of the Berlin Wagenburgs, recently published in the book “Résistance à l’effacement”, as well as current developments in colour portraits and video films.
This synthesis aims to show how research in visual anthropology can help a specific field and its inhabitants to express their point of view.
Ralf Marsault’s images are certainly staged (his objects, masks and collages even more so), and thus they all evoke the order of representation. However they mainly present reality as a collection of effects and capacities, opening up the representative field to the identity of the subject approached, the recognition of his act and culture of resistance.
The image factory of the photographer functions as a deciphering tool and gives way to perceptible traumas and quests of resilience. Combats against dragons being then metaphorical for those.