23 intense years of encounters and life moments
Ulrick Théaud, a photographer from La Valette, was elected best portraitist of France.
On May 9, this sensitive artist inaugurated the exhibition he was presenting at the La Valette art gallery Le Moulin (from May 10 to 21). It was an opportunity to discover a journey, a sensitivity, and a commitment to bring to light. Described by Julien Argento, the mayor, and his predecessor Thierry Albertini (for whom he was their campaign photographer) as a good man, deeply human and empathetic, Ulrick Théaud is well known in La Valette, where he worked for 23 years.
23 years of encounters, of intense life moments shared with the people photographed, of moments magnified in shots that several people still remember, with emotion, on the evening of the opening. NEW ADVENTURES "He took all the photos for my daughters, the pregnancies, their arrivals, every time was a magical moment," recalls one of the artist's neighboring shopkeepers, whose boutique was until recently located on avenue du Char Verdun.
Ulrick Théaud has left for other adventures (in Toulon) but his heart remains deeply anchored in the cité de la pigne.
He explains: "For me, it was unthinkable for this exhibition to take place anywhere else. I had to share it with those who helped me build it — my models, my partners and sponsors (neighbors for some of them) and, also the visitors, in short, with all those who have given and will give substance to this project. An ambitious project, born during the health crisis in 2019 to retrace the journey of life, from conception to old age, in 101 landscape portraits, in black and white, with a carefully crafted magnetic grain."
101 encounters, 101 exchanges during which the artist guided his models, asking them to come with an object representing them at the age captured on film and to tell a memorable memory. 101 opportunities to recall the importance of empathy and humanity.
Moreover, as these values are particularly important to the artist, he wanted to include visitors in the process by inviting them to take an envelope to "Open in front of the portrait of your age." Inside: existential questions, to contemplate, to reflect on oneself. Answering the small sticky notes attached to the photos: "And you, what is your memory at that age?
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That being said, resolutely determined to make this exhibition an opportunity for exchange, sharing, and anchoring, Ulrick Théaud goes further and has proposed another form of immersion. Having worked on each of the photos (and therefore each of the ages) with the soundtracks he listened to at each corresponding stage of his own life, the photographer worked with his wife, a choir director. The idea was to offer a musical show — "Le train de la vie" (at the Palais Neptune in Toulon), inspired by the La Valette exhibition.
Photos by Philippe OLIVIER.