A romance novel that turns into a photo novel, or vice versa… It doesn’t matter. A story that may seem cliché but where the flash struck them with passion. Sabrina Budon from Orléans and Olivier Remualdo from Nice met by chance at the other end of the world two years ago. Olivier, 29, was in India on a humanitarian trip. He observes and strives to understand the inhabitants, capturing the Indian life he discovered through his photos. Sabrina, 25, was there to explore a culture she was passionate about. The photographer and the visual artist have been inseparable ever since. From this meeting comes, two years later, a photo exhibition “Bhati Lumières Luz” which runs until January 17 at Caffé dell’Arte, 6 cours Saleya.
The two artists complement each other. Olivier as a realistic photojournalist and Sabrina more subjective. Olivier skillfully captures ordinary life scenes from his trip to India on film. The images are intense and depict the colors of this country in black and white. The locals are unaware of him, inadvertently disdain to look at him. This peculiarity adds depth. You scan the photograph, and in three glances, you imagine Olivier’s journey, what he experienced, and what the Indians feel. His passion for photo reporting, he admits confidentially, began when he read a Mickey journal featuring a story where Goofy was a wildlife photojournalist. He was twelve, the age when callings change children’s lives at the dawn of adolescence and choices.
Sabrina, on the other hand, communicates through two modes of expression: visual arts and photography. She exhibits her photos of tango dancers, her favorite theme. She practiced this dance herself, observed it a lot, and wanted to express the sensuality emerging from the blend of two bodies through images. She seeks to convey two bodies merging by simplifying the decor: “I work on the multiplicity of senses; it’s the encounter with the other that takes precedence. I play with the notions of hidden-revealed, of paradox. As soon as two gazes meet, something unique happens. I provide a thread, and everyone weaves their perception of life’s tapestry in their own way.”
This exhibition marks the launch of the project “Mythic Sarasvati”. The idea was born in 2004 during their trip to India and upon discovering the myth of the sacred Sarasvati River, which disappeared 4,000 years ago. Sabrina and Olivier will depart again from December to May for an initiatory journey taking them from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, and from the Thar Desert to the banks of the Ganges. The Ministry of Youth and Sports and Community Life have awarded them a Défi Jeune grant. The Lonely Planet Traveler’s Grant has also provided assistance. During this journey, they will immerse themselves within the population, absorbing it. They will bring both a reporter’s perspective and an artist’s touch, aiming to better understand Indian culture and the daily life of its inhabitants.
More information at www.mythicsarasvati.com
Olivier Remualdo’s photos: [www.oremualdo.com](https://www.oremualdo.com)
