Pernot Mathieu

Mathieu Pernot was born in 1970 in Fréjus. He lives and works in Paris. During his studies at the École nationale supérieure de la photographie, Mathieu Pernot met Roma families in Arles, including the Gorgan family, with whom he has continued to work ever since. Throughout the 2000s, he developed several series devoted to confinement, urban planning, and the issue of migration. His work with Philippe Artières on the archives of the Bon Sauveur psychiatric hospital was awarded the Nadar Prize in 2013. In 2014, he received the Niépce Prize, the same year that the Jeu de Paume dedicated an exhibition to him, La Traversée, retracing twenty years of photographs.

“Inspired in its form by the tradition of travel in the 18th century, Mathieu Pernot’s awarded project promises to take the shape of an ideological and symbolic adventure, as he travels through contested territories of Europe and the Middle East in order to recount a personal and moving journey that refers back to his family history. I look forward to seeing the results of this new body of work, which will undoubtedly combine different media and cross genres, as Pernot documents his encounters and confrontations with situations and objects that compel viewers to question their relationship to the world and its representations.” Alona Pardo, Curator, Barbican Centre, London

“Mathieu Pernot has laid the foundations for a visual investigation through a reasoned structure, which will lead him to Lebanon in the coming months. His visual research is based on various archival sources and both private and public circles centered around the theme of ‘destruction’.” Thomas Seelig, Director, Photographic Collection, Museum Folkwang, Essen