For this new exhibition, Bertrand Carrière once again takes an intimist approach to the private sphere, that of the family, of course, but also relating to our own, individual, world, and in that sense, it assumes an autobiographical dimension. Here we could mention those of his previous series in the same vein: Voyage à domicile (1986–1997), Signes de Jour (1996–2001), and Le Capteur (2006–2014).

So introduced, this group of works showcases a selection of photographs (shot between 2013 and 2021) from his latest publication Une poignée d’étoiles, released in the fall of 2023. That book could be described as the second element of a diptych, with the first being Le Capteur,which put together sequences of images that did not follow a specific chronology, but rather an internal logic and concern for detail indicative of Carrière’s interest in photographic diaries. In the style of a visual journal begun in 2006, the photographer trains a watchful eye on “fleeting signs and symbols, looking for fragments of what shapes my environment while looking into other people’s worlds”[1]; that requires a rigorous, daily practice of constantly scrutinizing life’s moments to capture them forever.

Through this second element, we see “portraits of family and friends, landscapes, windows, endless horizons, roads that lead nowhere, winter that begins again, every year, the wanderings of the photographer at home and abroad . . . gazing at the circle of life.”[2] 

Such long-term projects involve a large number of digital photographs that Carrière has taken over time, which he then gathers and arranges to produce books of great value. The idea of creating a narrative sequence between the images is clearly a recurrent feature of his work, discernible throughout his publications as well as in this exhibition. The result, offering a singular look at everything making up our daily lives, is striking.

Image: Devant la nuit 1, Saint-Denis-de-Brompton — 2020, Edition 1/5 Inkjet print, 60 x 40 in

About the artist

Bertrand Carrière has had a photographic practice for over forty years. His interest is focused on the poetic content of the important events in the social life of individuals and communities, whether that involves families or war. During those more than forty years, his work has been exhibited in Québec and Europe, and is represented in many public and private collections, including those of the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montréal, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.