France

Arno Brignon

Biography

Arno Brignon (b. 976) was born in Paris and now lives and works in Toulouse, France. In 2010, Brignon graduated from ETPA, leaving his job as social worker in the unprivileged districts to devote himself entirely to photography. He distributes his work through reporting, assignments, personal research and teaching in the Ateliers de photographie Saint-Cyprien (St Cyprien Photography Workshop).

Brignon is represented by the Signatures agency, house of photographers, France.

"Liar by omission, the family portrait is used only for the good moments which it turns into good memories" wrote Pierre Bourdieu on the practice of this extremely formatted type of photography consisting of maintaining a journal, the photo album of your child from the moment of it's birth from the "origin of the world ". In this universe, made of obvious facts, as peaceful as a long flowing river, no other layout is possible other than these emotional clichés in which father and mother look with tenderness at their children who gurgle and smile at the camera.

As an artist, he knows very well that you do not create good literature with good feelings, nor do you make good photographs without maintaining your emotions at a good distance.
Arno Brignon's art succeeds in translating photographically this question of the father's place, even more complex, more ambiguous that it appears. This is why the blur, the movement and irregular matter have nothing to do with mistaken aesthetics. It strongly conveys the turmoil that overwhelms a father when confronted with the presence, of that which he participated in bringing into the world.

No, Arno Brignon's world is not peaceful, has this worrying strangeness dear to André Breton yet which is as beautiful as the fortuitous encounter between two gazes over a changing table, looking for each other and thought which time will end up revealing to one another.

Ceuta is a reflection in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar of an Europe in crisis. Surrounded by a high security fence, it looks like a trap in which migrant Moroccans and Spaniards seem stuck waiting for promises of better days...

In the extreme south of Europe, Ceuta (Sebta in Arabic), a Spanish enclave in Morocco territory, is the gateway from Europe to Africa located 17 km away from the other pillar of Hercules: Gibraltar.

The border looks very impressive but it is not so tight. Many potential immigrants cross it expecting to find here an entry to Europe. In the other direction all kinds of goods enter to feed the Moroccan market. Ceuta as a Free Zone, and tax haven, is also the realm of small business and financial settlements. A trade tolerated by the authorities, because it makes the fortune of the Spanish community, is organized with the Moroccan border. Goods are moving on the back of Moroccan women, real mules.

72,000 people live in this so special city. "La convivencia", a declared policy of coexistence between the four dominant communities (Hindu, Jewish, Christian and Muslim) is now a reality in the workplace but does not seem to be so harmonious a coexistence. The Muslim community is the largest in number but is particularly affected by unemployment, underperforming at school, and housing problems.

In Ceuta, the police, army, customs are everywhere, but the law is often a matter of small arrangements .

Ancrages was the result of Arno Brignon residence in Corbeil, France in 2013.

Through building links within the community, Brignon has created a body of work that is uncompromising, sometimes hard, often empathetic, never complacent.