“Witness of an era” Christian Lui’s photographs are currently exhibited at Saint-Saturn
Two men with signs of life playing on a giant checkerboard, young people laughing on swings, others sitting in front of the playground, staring into space… Images that testify to the desire to document and reveal an objective view, but also tinge with Empathy, Christian Louis.
From this Saturday, the Café de l’Union in Saint-Satur presents a new exhibition Christian Louis: clair-obscur union, Great Britain 1977dedicated to the artist’s black-and-white photographs taken during his journey across the Channel.
“This kind of intimate setting fits perfectly into the world of Christian Louie,” said Roger Coleman, who, with his wife Sally Reilly, has been working to preserve and promote the photographer’s work since the 1970s through the association. In 1990, he died in 2001 at the age of 63 and chose Bue for his adopted village. “Besides, he probably came here during his lifetime! »
Travel to a country in industrial decline
“The idea was to have an off-season exhibition,” notes Roger Coleman. There is a lot to do in Sancerrois in summer, but in winter it is also very important to set up an event to contribute to the cultural life. »
One of the photographs presented at the Café de l’Union in Saint-Satur until December 18, 2022.
Sally Reilly and Roger Coleman conducted an important inventory of the photographs the artist left behind. For their proposed exhibition in Saint-Satur, they have chosen a number of images that have some significance in his journey. “It was a moment that shaped his vision of photography, unlike the humanist tradition of post-war French photographers,” explains Roger Coleman. This is a very special period: a lot has changed since the glorious Thirties. England was affected by deindustrialization, which he was able to see and photograph when he visited the north of the country. There he found an interesting topic and witnessed an era. This later influenced his style as he photographed and documented the Parisian suburbs affected by post-industrial decline. »
First trip on the 16th
As the name of the exhibition suggests, the series of photographs hanging in the Café de l’Union was taken in 1977. In August of that year, Christian Louis took her on an extended trip to London and Liverpool. “He also went to the east coast of Scotland, to Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness,” said Roger Coleman. Great Britain fascinated the photographer. “He made at least three trips to England. When the first took place in the 1960s, he was only 16, then an apprentice of Parisian photographers. He went with his friend, a young photographer. They wanted to see the Beatles! »
The photographs presented to the public are reproductions of the artist’s prints. “If they’re good quality, you can get a very high level of detail,” assures Roger Coleman. Plus, working from this support allows us to approach what the photographer wants to do more than the negative. »
Experiment. The exhibition is this Sunday, December 11 and next weekend at the Café de l’Union, 26 rue Hilaire-Amagat, Saint-Satur from 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 15 It can be seen until :00. It will be possible to visit by appointment during the next week. Contact: 06.70.38.30.13.
The association offers for sale books dedicated to photography from the personal collection of Christian Louis, some of them signed by his photographer friends Robert Doisneau and Willy Ronis. The public can also obtain reproductions of the artist’s photographs and books devoted to his work. The profit allows the association to develop projects, especially exhibitions.
Vincent Michel
