From June 18 to July 15, 2019, Audacieuse-Galerie welcomes the exhibition of Artist Photographer Danièle Verjus. (Beyond its dates, Danièle Verjus’ photographs will still be available in our gallery or online.) Here is his interview, which will invite you to discover his images, on the occasion of his exhibition opening, to which we gladly invite you.
Interview
Can you tell us what the Luna Park series is?
You have to imagine the atmosphere and the context of the place where this series was made. We are in summer, in Slovenia, in a small fishing village on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. The place is quite austere and fishing is the main economic activity. Over there, we are very far from the excesses of some seaside resorts. The only opportunities to relax are swimming, a nap on pebble beaches and at the end of the day: the small funfair of Luna Park. This funfair is the main subject of this series of colour photographs. Rides set on a vacant lot, surrounded by decrepit buildings and an old factory chimney. There are two photographs taken during the day when no one is around, but most of the photographs were taken at night when the Luna Park funfair receives its public.
How did you come to create this series of photographs?
I was immediately intrigued by this funfair, because at first glance when I saw it during the day, it seemed abandoned to me. Some rides were dismantled, others in poor condition, only three rides seemed to me to be in working order. The place where the rides were set up also aroused my curiosity, this wasteland, with its decrepit buildings and this old factory chimney in the background. I immediately told myself that I had to take photographs during the day, but also at night to try to show this fragile balance between the sad and austere side of the place and the presence of this funfair full of colors and lights. There was a kind of in-between that I found interesting to exploit and a desire to capture these moments before it disappeared.
How do you work on your images? A photographer's secret to share with us?
For my part, I pay attention to the framing, the composition of my images, and a certain aestheticism. This is what helps to transcribe an emotion and contributes to the narrative. The timing of the photograph is very important, as is the light. I think in photography, you have to be patient and attentive to details while following your instincts, which allows you to know when it’s time to shoot.
A word from the curator:
In Danièle Verjus' photographic experience, we find ambivalent images that deploy an intermediary between asceticism and strong colors. Against the backdrop of the decline of Eastern Europe, we feel a strong warmth full of color, like a renewal. In the shadow of the deteriorating buildings, we find the joie de vivre of the men. This magic, rare in photography, caught my attention.
Stéphan Lamielle
Discover the exhibition:
