laurent Elie Badessi

To create this series of photographs, Badessi came up with a technique that addresses some of the fascinating laws of physics involving the reflection of light. This project allowed him also to approach the color theory on a unique way and to work with one of his preferred tools: symbolism. What makes the FRAGMENTS & INNOCENCE series so unique is the fact that Badessi managed to exploit, with great relevance, the two main characteristics of the photography medium: the capturing of time in a fraction of a second and the use of light.

Laurent Elie Badessi is a Franco American fine art photographer born in France. He belongs to a family with three generations of photographers. From an early age, this enabled him to explore and appreciate the art of photography. After studying language and communication sciences at Université des Lettres d’Avignon, Badessi enrolled in a photography course at Université Paris VIII. Curious about the psychological aspects of the interaction that occurs between a photographer and his sitter during a photo session, he decided to base his M.A. thesis on that subject, and spent several months in Niger, Africa taking photographs of isolated tribes that had never or very rarely been exposed to the medium. For this project, he received many prominent awards and grants including La Bourse de l’aventure with Fujicolor and the Humanity Photo Award with UNESCO. Badessi started his career in Paris and continued working abroad before moving to the United States in the early 90s. After spending ten years focusing on the human figure, his work SKIN, was compiled in a book of the same name internationally released in 2000 by Edition Stemmle. The book contains a foreword written by Sondra Gilman, Founder and Chairperson of the photography committee at the Whitney Museum.He uses symbolism, mythology, historical and cultural references to create his images. Badessi’s photographs are part of many important private and public collections. He has received several prestigious awards, including a grant from the French Department of Cultural Affairs for his Paris show Métamorphoses.Solo and group shows of his work have taken place around the world in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, London, Milan, Rome, Paris, Nice, Barcelona, Kuwait City, Beijing, Dali, Monaco and Dubai.Laurent Elie Badessi lives in New York and Paris.Selected Collections:Whitney Museum New York - Gilman & Gonzales-Falla Collection - Sir Elton John Collection - Buhl Collection - Danforth Museum of Art - Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville Fl. - Bibliothèque Nationale de France Paris - Musee de l’Elysée, Lausanne - Les Arts Decoratifs / Musée de la Publicitée Paris - Barry Diller - Dr. Daniel Baker - Dr. Pier-Luigi Gibelli - Jérôme Prochiantz - Jorge Perez - Karl Lagerfeld - Pierre Cardin - The Related Group - Bloomingdale’s - Saks Fifth Avenue - Royal Caribbean.