WOODEN STAIRCASE

Philippe Graton was raised by his father Jean Graton and other sacred comic strip monsters like Goscinny, Uderzo, and Charlier. It is not surprising that Graton began to associate writing with storytelling and photography when he was just thirteen years old. His camera never left his side as a reporter, editor, or screenwriter.

He won the Lycée Français de Belgique photography contest when he was fifteen, and he never put his camera down. Later, he reported for the Sygma agency in places including Bosnia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. He travelled on rallies and circuits while also working as a photojournalist to record Michel Vaillant's exploits. Philippe Graton continues to use film to capture everyday life in addition to these pursuits. The subject chosen for this "personal document" is the photographer's own environment, making it a distinct subgenre of photo-reportage that adheres to documentary photography's standards. These photographs owe nothing to photographic art as it is traditionally understood. They portray a mindset and a perspective on life. 

Philippe Graton’s photographs examine the relationship between life and photography, how the two mutually enhance one another, and they lead us to believe that if photography is an art form, it might as well be a way of living. 

The photographs of Philippe Graton (1961°) were shown at the opening of the Arles Festival, and they have since been exhibited in France, Japan, Charleroi, and other countries. In 2020, they will win the President's Prize at the National Art Centre of Tokyo's International Exhibition of Contemporary Art.