Thierry Fontaine's Dream-Making Photography in Two Exhibitions

Thierry Fontaine's work is presented in two concurrent exhibitions: one at Frac PACA in Marseille and another on the Terrasse de Nanterre as part of the Mois de la Photographie du Grand Paris. The Marseille exhibition features a projection of triptychs, while the Nanterre installation, titled Archipel, places twenty images horizontally on inclined planes for a bird's-eye view by residents and office workers. Fontaine's photographs are entirely fabricated, often surreal, and explore themes of isolation and insularity. His series includes works like Le Fabricant de rêves, depicting himself holding a book titled Chaque homme est une île, and earlier works such as Cris and Messages. He also engages with preconceived notions of indigenous art, commissioning objects like beaded skeletons in South Africa. Fontaine uses analog photography with a fixed format based on viewer size. The exhibitions run during the Mois de la Photographie du Grand Paris, with the Nanterre installation connecting visually to the Grande Arche de la Défense.