Jean-Christian Bourcart

Jean-Christian Bourcart first gained attention in France, his native country for "Infertile Madonnas" (1992), a series of photographs taken in Frankfurt brothels, which was widely exhibited and also published with an introduction by Nan Goldin. He has been living and working in New York since 1997.

He also published "Forbidden City" (1999), an investigation of swinging and S&M clubs taken with a hidden camera ,"Traffic," a study of commuters caught in traffic jams (2004); and "Sinon la mort te gagnait" ("if not, Death would have overtaken you"), an autobiography mixing text and photographs. His last bodies of works include "Stardust," in which he photographed the image on the glass that separates the projection room from the audience in movie theaters, and "Collateral", in which he projected photographs of Iraqi war victims on houses, churches and supermarkets in the American countryside. In 2009, he documented himself about the city of Camden, N.J., which is one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the U.S.A., trying to understand and witness what is the real life behind the statistics and trying to develop strategies that bring something back to the communities.

Solo exhibitions (selection)

• 2010 “Camden," Museum für  Photographie Braunschweig,

"10th International photo Exhibition," Shanghai, 

"Camden,"Images'10 festival, Vevey

• 2009: “Camden,” Rencontres Internationales d’Arles
• 2008: “Le plus beau jour de la vie,” Rencontres Internationales d’Arles
• 2007: “Stardust,” Andrea Meslin Gallery, New York; Musée du Jeu de Paume, Paris; “Stardust,” Chrysler Museum, Norfolk,
• 2006: “Traffic,” Museu da Imagem, Braga, Portugal
• 2004: “Traffic,” Galerie Léo Scheer, Paris
• 2002: “Le plus beau jour de la vie,” Kagan Martos Gallery, New York
• 2001: “Forbidden city,” galerie Catherine Bastide, Bruxelles
• 2000: Galerie du Jour, Paris
• 1993: “Les filles de la gare centrale,” Galerie Urbi & Orbi, Paris

Filmography

• 2010: “Memories of the days to come,” 35mm, 80 min, Le Bureau production
• 2008: “Encore une fois,” DV, 4 min. 30
• 2007: “Stardust, the film,” DV, 1 min. 30
• 2006: “Me, my cell and I’,” DV, 9 min
• 2005: “It’s today”, DV, 7 min; “The decisive act,” DV, 8 min. 30; “Stories of hell,” DV, 6 min. 15
• 2004: “Rapture,” DV, 10 min. 30; “Bardo/Autoportrait,” DV, 5min. 15
• 2003: “Videhole,” DV, 2 min. 30
• 1999: “(de) la fenêtre,” vidéo, 26 min D.A.P, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
• 1997: “Elvis,” fiction movie, 35 mm, 65 min,Lazennec Production
• 1996: “Céline en galère,” video, 46 min, Io Production
• 1993: “Casablanca,” video with Robert Frank, 8 min
• 1992: “Les filles de la gare centrale,” vidéo, 12 min

Bibliography

1. Monographies

• 2011 "Camden," Images en Manœuvre éditions
• 2008 “Sinon la mort te gagnait”, Point du jour éditions
• 2004 “Traffic”, Leo Scheer editions, interview by Brigitte Ollier
• 2002 “Madones Infertiles,” text by Nan Goldin, TDM édition
• 1999 “Forbidden City,” text by Régis Jauffret, interview by Brigitte Ollier, Le point du jour éditeur
• 1998 “C’était cinq heures du soir,” text by Jean Rolin, Le point du jour éditeur

2. Periodicals

• "Camden, USA," in Usbeck &Rica, p.54-65, winter 2010
• "Traffic," in Zoom, by Cristina Franzoni, p. 102-104
• "Photographier la misère comme un exorcisme," by Armelle Canitrot in La Croix, p.14, August 17, 2009
• "Sinon la mort," by Jacques Henric in Artpress nº351, p 74 , December 2008
• “j’aime franchir les frontières”, Interview in “le Monde”, July 12, 2008
• “Collateral,” in Esquire, Russia, Dec. 2007
• “Stardust,” by Robert Stevens in Next Level, Spring 2007
• “Jean-Christian Bourcart, images violentes”, by Hélène Simon in Le Monde, May 4, 2007
• “Qu’est-ce que la photographie aujourd’hui ?”, by Brigitte Ollier in Beaux Arts éditions p. 62-63, May 2007
• "Stardust," by Vince Aletti in The New Yorker, February 19 & 27, 2007
• "Se raconter que tout est illusion," interview by Frédéric Bonnet in Le Journal des Arts, Dec. 1, 2007