Following Joseph-Philippe Bévillard's transfer from the United States to Ireland at the beginning of the new millennium, he took a taxi from Shannon Airport. Within minutes of the trip, he saw for the first time the world of Irish travelers (also known as Mincéirs). Witnessing his effervescent spirit and nomadic lifestyle captivated Bévillard and ignited something personal in him. A seed was planted that, many years and many friends later, would change his course and his life as an artist, and lead to his most defining and celebrated work, presented here, for the first time, in book form. In the tradition of the great documentary photographers that he admires, Bévillard has the ability to turn chaotic real-life situations into superbly composed images. At other times, in striking portraits, the lens of the photographer meets the honest and powerful gaze of his subject (s). Photographs are often saturated with bright colors that provide an attractive contrast to Irish skies, often gray, or to makeshift, often drab backgrounds at various rest spots and social housing estates. Yet beyond their photographic qualities, each of the 90 fluidly sequenced plates in Mincéirs brings "clarity to this unique part of Irish heritage and sheds a light of respect on a group of people who continue to strive for recognition and recognition. visibility, "as writer Peggy Sue Amison asserts in her insightful essay featured in Mincéirs. Bévillard documents everyday life, as well as weddings, funerals, Catholic ceremonies, and holidays. In doing so, a universal chord is also touched, as the photographs address broader themes that are common to human experience: the wonders and struggles of childhood, the nature of play, coming of age, gender roles, the family and the role of childhood. animals relative to humans. In the end, it is Bévillard's compassionate nature and insightful eye that makes for a moving, genuine and humanistic debut monograph.
ISBN 978-82-692410-0-6 Format: 29 x 21.5 cm Hardcover
