Jean-Christian Bourcart (born 1960) is a French artistic photographer and film maker. He collected unsold wedding pictures, photographed in brothels and S&M cubs, photographed New Yorkers stuck in traffic jams, projected pictures of Iraqi victims on American houses, churches and supermarkets, wrote and published his autobiography and documented lengthy the city of Camden, NJ, one of the poorest and most dangerous city in the USA. He also directed two fiction feature movies, the first one during the war in Bosnia, the second, a sci-fi thriller in New York art world, starring the awards-winner Elodie Bouchez. He is also an active video filmmaker. Nine books about his work have been published. He has been teaching and conducting workshops all along his career. In 2021, all his archives were deposited at the musée Nicephore Niepce in Chalon-sur-Saône in France.
Awards: Nadar Prize, Paris, 2011 Nominated for Pictet prize 2010 & 2011, ICP awards 2010, BMW award 2010 Niepce Prize, Paris 2010 Prix du du Jeu de Paume, Paris, 2006 Prix Gilles Dusein, Paris, 1999 Prix d’interprétation masculine, “Premiers Plans,” Festival de Belfort,1997 Prix du Jury, Festival d’Annecy 1997 World Press Awards, categorie Art, Amsterdam, 1991 Prix Polaroïd, 1984
Solo exhibitions (selection) 2021 "Au bord du reél," Fondation M.R.O, Arles "F.S.A., l'inconscient de Roy Stryker," 8 Belze, Arles 2020 "Black Sheet," Manifesto Festival, Toulouse 2019 "L'oiseau noir perché à droite dans ma tête", Fisheye Galerie, Paris 2018 "Une excuse pour regarder," Musée Nicéphore Nièpce, Chalon sur Saône 2017 "Day of Wrath, " Fisheye Gallery, Paris, France "Humano Todavia," Valenzuela Klenner Gallery, Bogota, Colombia "Camden," Chongqing festival, China 2016 "Camden," International Photographic festival, Chengzhou, China "The dawn came but no day", Festival "Portraits," Vichy "Camden," International Photographic festival, Zhengzhou, China
2015 "All about Love," galerie VU', Paris
2014 "All about Love," Black Box Gallery, Brooklyn, USA
2013 ‘’Camden," Invisible Dog Art center, Brooklyn, USA
"Exerts,"Roger Williams University, Bristol, USA " Tana," French Institute, Antananarivo, Madagascar 2012 Shanghai Gallery of Art, China Galerie Le Manège, Institut français, Dakar, Sénégal Caochangdi PhotoSpring, Beijing, China Le bleu du ciel Art Center, Lyon, France 2011‘’Kailash," Galerie VU’, Paris Galerie Confluence, Nantes ‘’Kailash," Hôtel Fontfreyde, Clermont Ferrand Images - Festival des arts visuels de VeveyImages - Festival des arts visuels de Vevey 2011 2010 "Camden", Museum für Photographie Braunschweig "10th International photo Exhibition," Shanghai "Camden", Images - Festival des arts visuels de VeveyImages - Festival des arts visuels de Vevey 2010 2009: "Camden", Rencontres Internationales d’Arles 2008: "Le plus beau jour de la vie," Rencontres Internationales d’Arles 2007: "Stardust", Andrea Meislin Gallery, New York; Musée du Jeu de Paume, Paris; "Stardust," Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, 2006: "Traffic," Museu da Imagem, Braga, Portugal 2006: "Traffic", Fototeca, Monterrey, Mexico 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 2017: "KLCK28," HDV, 3min40 2016: "Take my money," HDV 3min15 2015: "Tahrir Square/Unspeakable", HDV, 8min 34, CrossEyed Production 2011: "Fortune Tellers," HDV, 12min, CrossEyed Production 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 2019 "L'oiseau noir perché à droite dans ma tête," éditions Le Bec en l'air 2014 "All About Love," Loco editions Paris, Bizarre éditions New York 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 ‘’Le goncourt de la photo‘’ in La dépêche du midi, January 2012 "Kailash,‘’ by Dominique Baqué in Art Press, September 2011 ‘’Kailash‘’, in l’Humanite, p.19, May 2011 ‘’Kailash‘’, in Le Monde, P.43, April 2011 ‘’The Most Beautiful Day, ‘’ in British journal of Photography, P.46-53, March 2011 "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
Prizes 2011 Nadar prize for best photographic book for Camden 2010 Niépce Prize, Paris 2006 Prix du du Jeu de Paume, Paris 1999 Prix Gilles Dusein, Paris 1997 Prix d’interprétation masculine, "Premiers Plans," Festival de Belfort 1997 Prix du Jury, Festival d’Annecy 1991 World Press Awards, categorie Art, Amsterdam 1984 Prix Polaroïd
References
External links Jean-Christian Bourcart Official Website Jean-Christian Bourcart @ Photography-now.com