Belleville and Ménilmontant are small towns located on a little hill north of the Seine, in the heart of Paris, France. We are pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in Japan by Thomas Boivin, who creates black-and-white photographs that seem to whisper and speak to the landscapes of central Paris and the relaxed daily lives of the people living there.
The sight of people gathered at café terraces and in the streets, the back of an old man with a dreamy air near the elevated exit of the metro, the stains on the walls of an apartment that evoke life, the light reflecting off the waterfront in the suburbs. These are all memories of the historic city of Paris and its inhabitants, accumulated over time.
In photographing today’s Paris, what emerges is a poetic Parisian urban landscape and the lives of its people, reminiscent of those seen in 1950s black-and-white novels and films. Belleville means “beautiful town” in French, and Ménilmont includes the word “to rise,” and is literally situated halfway up a hill. It is a charming town that served as the backdrop for the 1956 French film The Red Balloon.
Thomas Boivin is a France-based photographer who has been highly praised both nationally and internationally, having published two photo books to date with Stanley/Barker, a well-known British publisher of high-quality photobooks.
I feel like I’ve read somewhere that walking around Paris aimlessly is the most delightful thing to do. From autumn to winter, a somewhat melancholic and contemplative landscape, filled with the joy of living, is created at the entrance of Terrace Square.
Text by Takashi Kato
