Laurent Elie Badessi

After studying Communication and Language Sciences at the University of Avignon, he enrolled in a Masters in Photography at the University of Paris VIII. Interested in the psychological aspect of the relationship between the photographer and his subject during a photo shoot, he chose to make it the subject of his thesis and spent several months in Niger to photograph isolated tribes who never, or almost never, been exposed to the photographic medium. This project has won numerous renowned awards and scholarships, including the Fujicolor Adventure Scholarship and the Humanity Photo Award with the participation of UNESCO.

After ten years of work on the human body, he produced the SKIN series, gathered in an eponymous book, published internationally in 2000, by Stemmle editions. The preface was written by Sondra Gilman, founder and chair of the photography committee of the Whitney Museum in New York. Badessi is inspired by symbolism, mythology and does not hesitate to use historical and cultural references to create his images. His work is a reflection on delicate and relevant subjects relating to society, politics and culture, such as relations to religion, war or the environment.

His photographs are part of many major collections, public and private. He has received several awards, including a grant from the Ministry of Culture for his exhibition in Paris, Métamorphoses. A large format from his Age of Innocence series was recently exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London as part of the prestigious Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.

The book “Age of Innocence” was released by Images Plurielles editions in March 2020.