The forthcoming exhibition at Esther Woerdehoff gallery looks at the photographic work of French artist Julien Mignot, presenting three distinct but interconnected series: Before the Night is Over (2011- 2023), Today, the time is close (2023) and Temps présent (2024).
Brought together by the rare and meticulous Fresson printing process, these series testify to Mignot’s deep engagement with the history and perceptual limits of photography. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery, comprising more than twenty pieces.
Before the Night is Over invites the viewer to follow the artist’s personal journey, reminiscent of his previous project ‘96 Months’, in which everyday life plays an important role in a ritual of capturing images that echo musical pieces. By entrusting his negatives to the Fresson technique – a method preserved since 1899 by the Fresson family – Mignot embraces the unpredictable nature of this process. This technique, characterised by its layers of pigment on ‘Charbon-Satin’ paper, harkens back to the Pictorialist era of photography, blurring the sharpness typical of modern photography and inviting a nostalgic reflection on the origins of the medium.
In Today, the time is close, Mignot explores the concept of space and its limits through fragments of sky. These unique pieces challenge our perception of space and the arbitrary limits we impose on it. The series is particularly compelling in the way it uses the horizon – a socially and subjectively constructed demarcation – to challenge viewers’ spatial assumptions. Here, the horizon is not just a dividing line, but a unifying one that blends familiar realms with imaginary landscapes, redefining our engagement with the world.
Temps présent, initiated during Mignot’s residency at the Planche Contact Festival in Deauville and on the Atlantic coast, is a contemplative series that captures the transient colours of the sky from dawn to dusk. Each photograph, taken at different locations along the coast, represents a unique chromatic diary of a day, encapsulating the fleeting and ephemeral nature of time itself.
This exhibition highlights Mignot’s technical mastery and innovative use of Fresson printing, but also his investigation into the very fabric of visual experience. Through his lens, Mignot captures more than just images; he captures moments of introspection, fragments of time and the fluid boundaries of our environment. His work encourages us to see beyond the obvious, to find beauty and meaning in the transient, making this exhibition a profound experience for all who enter the immersive world of his creation.
For more information on this exhibition, click here.
