Arnaud Pagnier – photographer
About
Lives in Metz (FR) and works in Paris. Has a master’s degree in History from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. Works as a founding partner at the Magna Paris Gallery (primary market for contemporary art and secondary market for Old Master and modern paintings).
As a photographer, graduated from La Chambre (Strasbourg, FR). And work a as volunteer at the Social Centre Le Lierre (Thionville, FR) giving lectures and teaching the culture and the history of photography. Member of Faire+Voir collective.
Works
Les Sept de Champagne
“Les Sept de Champagne (The Seven of Champagne) is a road trip through Champagne, following in the footsteps of seven medieval authors from the region. Blending documentary and wonder, the photographic series reveals the landscape and history of this little-known part of France.”
Photographic exhibited in “Experimentations #11” @La Chambre, Strasbourg (FR), 2021 – Photobook design by Anastasia Plekhanova
Canaan & Moselle
Samples of a documentary work about the jewish heritage in Moselle (FR)
Preview exhibition @Le Réel En Vue 2022 – festival du film documentaire, Thionville (FR)
“The photographic project Canaan-et-Moselle focuses on the heritage of the Jewish communities of Lorraine, both in its preservation and disappearance. Beyond a simple inventory, the aim is to restore it to its unique geographic, sociological, and historical context in Eastern France. Additionally, the project seeks to shed light on a territory relegated to the ‘peripheral France’ — a part of France that has been somewhat ‘de-cultured’ — highlighting a history and culture that contribute to the region’s identity but have been ‘made invisible’ for decades.”
Aesthetica Regionis Vallis Angelorum
“Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy and art that is sometimes misunderstood. It seeks ‘beauty’ with a concrete meaning, far from a mystical absolute. So, is it possible to assign aesthetic value to the facts and places of the steel industry? Can the Fensch mining region and the Orne blast furnaces possess a sense of beauty for their everyday spectators, beyond the grayness of decades of deindustrialization? This photographic series dedicated to the landscape of the ‘Valley of the Angels’ thus makes an in extremis inventory of ‘beauty,’ among the lines, shapes, and colors composing a unique setting destined to disappear.”
Communication posters for the collective exhibition including « Aesthetica Regionis Vallis Angelorum » / cover, map and back of the published photo book ISBN 978-2-9584532-06 (FR – 2022)
Commissioned
Documenter le territoire
A long-term masterclass with 11 apprentice photographers on the theme of photographic documentation of the territory. Direction of the 11 projects, editing, advice, technichal workshops (digital and analog processes), training in photographic image culture, scenography, and production of the final exhibition. Centre Social Le Lierre, Thionville (FR), 2024.
Iconodoule
“[…] Sometimes, I have taken a long road, even neglecting certain obligations, using every opportunity to escape daily life, just to grab my camera. To load it, frame the shot, focus, and press the shutter. Yet, these actions aren’t that important. I know now that the camera isn’t either. What truly matters is simply ‘seeing’ at the moment of photographing. It may not even be necessary to capture the image on film. The image is better rooted in the mind, directly. That’s where it takes its most definitive form. I only blink in front of my subject, and the ‘shot’ is perfect. You can also frame with your hands before blinking. But all of this is just a game, at best a technique. Going into contact with the subject guarantees access to truth. Seeing through a photograph is still like ‘seeing through a mirror, dimly.’ […]”
Short story and photographie workflow published in L’Âme au Diable, 2nd issue, may 2022
La Route d’Austrasie
“ […] At this roundabout, nothing marks the memory of the glorious days in Chauvency. The central island is just a circle of gravel and broken asphalt, covered in moss, lichen, and tire debris. It was at the second exit, on the D141 departmental road, that the counts of Hainaut, Flanders, and Artois departed after six days of jousting and festivities. In the opposite direction, via the now downgraded former national road, left the neighbors, vassals of Lorraine, shortly preceded by their emperor, the Habsburg, and King Ottokar of Bohemia. The view stretches far. The wind turbines spin. No one remembers the departure of the few lords who came from the Loire region of Champagne. Everyone went home. As I am returning ‘home’ today, to Lille. Not knowing which knights to follow without regret, for I am leaving Lorraine, another ‘home.’ I’ve never known whether I belong to the North or the East. […] ”
Short story and photographic work published in Les Amis de l’Ardenne #68, juin 2020