foto by ©John_Marquez
bio
Mathieu Asselin (FR/VEN, ̊1973 began his career working on film productions in Venezuela but shaped his photography practice in the US. He obtained his Master's degree from the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie (ENSP, Arles) in 2017. His work mainly consists of long-term investigative documentary projects, such as his latest book Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, which received international acclaim, winning the Kassel FotoBook Festival Dummy Award in 2016, the Aperture Foundation First Book Award in 2017, and has been shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in 2018. Les Rencontre d’Arles in France, Photographer’s Gallery in London, FOMU Antwerp in Belgium, the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and Hasselblad Foundation in Gothenburg are amongst recent venues where his work has been exhibited. Since 2018 he is a member of the editorial committee at Disclose, the first NGO dedicated to investigative journalism in France. He is a lecturer at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts KASK in Ghent, Belgium, and co-founder of DoubleDummy, a platform in Arles for producing and showcasing critical reflections on documentary photography.
about my work
My work can be described as socially, ecologically, and politically engaged.
In recent years, one important question has shaped my practice: Why has documentary photography so often prioritized representing the consequences of the world's issues rather than the power structures behind them?
As an attempt to answer this question, my projects are articulated as counter-designs; they are an attempt to challenge the corporate status quo: Power structures and hierarchies, manipulation of facts, greenwashing, the dynamics of corporate influence, and the social and environmental violence they generate; urgent time-critical concerns at the heart of today's socio-environmental realities.
My work seeks to go beyond the account that has focused on the consequences of this construct. At the heart of my narrative is the need to make a clear and direct fact-based statement. My projects seek to expose the environmental, social, and economic violence of corporations, their strategies, and the structures that perpetuate them.
Archival, appropriated images, documents, text, and infographics are some of the tools I weave into multi-layered narratives to create this discourse.
I believe that Documentary photography could offer a means of engaging with the world by providing an account of global inequalities, social and ecological violence and the power structures that maintain them. It can also provide a tool for reflecting on the frameworks that uphold these power structures.
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Professor at KASK and Royal Conservatory / School of Arts, University College, Ghent, Belgium
Member of the editorial committee, Disclose.ngo, Paris, France
Co-founder, DoubleDummy, Arles, France
represented by The Ravestijn Gallery. T: +31 (0)20-5306005 E: info@theravestijngallery.com
awards, grants, nominations, and residencies
2023 Winner of the Meijburg Art Commission Prize, Netherlands. 2022 Fotodok Netherland residency, Pondering the meaning of place, Arles, France
2021 Winner, National Center of Visual Arts, support for contemporary documentary photography. France
2018 Shortlisted, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize. UK
2018 Shortlisted, Prix de l’Elysee. Switzerland
2018 Honorary Appreciation, Leipzig Best Book Design from all over the World. Germany
2017 Winner, Deutscher Fotobuchpreis category Artistic-Conceptual, Germany
2017 Winner, Aperture Foundation Paris Photo First Book Award. France/USA
2017 Special Mention, Dummy Book Awards Rencontres d'Arles. France
2016 Winner, Dummy Book Awards Kassel. Germany
2016 Finalist, Lens Culture. France
2016 Selected, Bristol Photobook Festival. UK
2016 Shortlisted, First Book Award. Bristol, UK
2014 Imagine Science Films Artist in Residence. New York, USA
2011 Winner, The Grand Prize One Life Photography Award. USA Shortlisted, Sony
2011 World Photography Awards Documentary Portrait. UK
talks, workshops, and education
2022 Conference, IF.BE. Mumbai, India
2022 Workshop, Centre For Arts And Communication. New Delhi, India
2022 Portfolio review and conference, Arthshila Foundation, Ahmedabad, India
2022 Mentor, ENSP VAE program, Arles France
2022 Jury, ENSP formation continue, Arles France
2022 Conference, Une Rentrée en Images, Rencontres d’Arles. Arles, France
2022 Lecture, Archives Nationales. Paris, France
2022 Masterclass and workshop, University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Dortmund,
2022 Germany Conference, University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Dortmund, Germany
2021 Workshop, School of Fine Arts, Nimes France 2020
2021 Conference, Hochschule für bildende Künste (HFBK), Hamburg, Germany
2021 Conference, The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Netherlands
2021 Jury, ENSP formation continue, Arles France
2020 Coordinator, Educational program, NOUA. Bodo, Norway
2020 Workshop, NOUA. Bodo Norway
2020 Guest lecturer, Columbia University School of Journalism. New York City, US
2019 Workshop, Ciné Fabrique. Lyon, France
2019 Guest lecturer, Doctoral School School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences. Paris, France Conference, Les Gobelins School of Image. Paris, France
2019 Conference, The International Centre of Graphic Arts. Ljubljana, Slovenia
2019 Workshop, ENSP – École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie d’Arles. Ales, France
2019 Master class, Alliance Française. Panama City, Panama
2019 Workshop, International Summer School of Photography. Zaļenieki, Latvia
2018 Workshop, Bilder Nordic School of Photography. Oslo, Norway
2018 Conference, Liege Photobook Festival. Liege, Belgium
2018 Speaker, Doctoral School at the University Aix-Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, France Speaker, Der Spiegel. Hamburg, Germany
2018 Guest Lecturer, Photographer’s Gallery. London, UK
2018 Guest Lecturer, The Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. Budapest, Hungary
2018 Workshop, EFTI Centro Internacional de Fotografia y Cine Workshop. Madrid, Spain
2018 Workshop, Fotogafie Forum Frankfurt Summer Academy. Frankfurt, Germany
2018 Portfolio review, Fotogafie Forum Frankfurt Summer Academy. Frankfurt, Germany
2018 Master class, VII Agency, Warsaw, Poland
2018 Workshops, Rencontres d’Arles. Arles, France
2018 Speaker, Rentrée en Images. Rencontres d’Arles. Arles, France
2018 Speaker, École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie d’Arles (ENSP). Ales,
2018 France Speaker, Fotodok Bookclub #12, Fotodok. Utrecht, The Netherlands.
2018 Speaker, Paris Photo. Paris France.
2017 Portfolio reviews, Gazebook. Puntasecca, Italy
2017 Workshops, Rencontres d’Arles. Arles, France
2017 Guest speaker, Les états généraux de l’alimentation, France Culture radio, France
2017 Guest speaker, Dans quel monde on vit? France Inter radio, France
2017 Guest speaker, Regardez voir, France Inter radio, France
2016 Workshop, Negpos Nimes. Nimes, France
books and published media
2018-2021Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation Newsprint -editions one to seven- Self-published
2020 Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, second edition-paperback, ENG/FR, Actes Sud, Arles, France (ISBN 9782330124076)
2019 Cultural Capital / Capital Culture. Self-published
2017 Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, first edition-hard cover, ENG Mathieu Asselin, Verlag Kettler, Dortmund, Germany (ISBN 9783862066575)
2017 Monsanto: une Enquête Photographique, first edition-hard cover, FR, Mathieu Asselin, Actes Sud, Arles, France, (ISBN 9782330078058)
permanent collection
Les Rencontres d’Arles, France, acquired 2019
exhibitions
2023 UNSEEN. True Colors. Amsterdam, Netherlands. Rencontres Arles. La Chase de La Tarasque. Arles, France 2022 Group exhibition Archives Nationales. Exposition Face aux épidémies. De laPeste noire à nos jours. Paris, France
2022 Photographie mon amour. Metz, France
2021 Hasselblad Foundation. Gothenburg, Sweden
2021 International Festival of Photography, Photo 2021. Melbourne, Australia
2021 Le Blue du Ciel Gallery, Lyon, France
2021 MOMus - Thessaloniki Museum of Photography - Thessaloniki Photo Festival. Greece
2020 La Ferme des Tilleuls. Renens, Switzerland
2020 PHOTO Melbourne. Melbourne, Australia
2019 Rencontres Arles. 50 Years, 50 Books Masterworks from the library of Martin Parr. Arles France Rencontres Arles. What a Story! The Rencontres 50 years Collection, Arles, France
2019 Ballarat International Foto Biennale. Ballarat, Australia
2019 Solo Exhibition, The Ravestijn Gallery. Amsterdam, Holland
2019 FotoDocks. Munich, Germany
2019 Westerdok 824, 1013 BV Amsterdam, Netherlands
2019 Foto Wien Festival, Vienna, Austria
2019 Photoville. Los Ángeles, USA
2019 Les Photaumnales. Montreuil-sur-Breche, France
2019 Alliance Française. Panama City, Panama
2018 MMK Zollamt. Frankfurt, Germany
2018 The Photographers Gallery. London, UK
2018 Triennale RAY. Hamburg, Germany
2018 RAY Photo Festival. Frankfurt, Germany
2018 Museum of Modern Art Frankfurt. Frankfurt, Germany
2018 Breda Photo Festival. Breda The Netherlands
2018 Solo exhibition, European Parliament. Strasbourg, France
2018 Solo Exhibition, Foto-Museum FOMU. Antwerpen, Belgium
2018 Tobe Gallery. Budapest, Hungary
2017 Solo Exhibition, Spazio Labo. Bolognia, Italy
2017 Solo Exhibition, Les Rencontre De La Photography Arles. Arles, France J1. Marseille France
2016 Breda Photo Festival. Breda, The Netherlands
2016 First Book Award Exhibition Photo London. London, UK2016 Photo Athens. Athens, Greece
2016 Negpos, Nimes, France
2015 Sala TAC, Caracas. Realidades Instantáneas, Caracas, Venezuela
2013 Solo Exhibition, Indie Gallery. Portraits of Tornado Path. Tel Aviv, Israel
2012 Solo Exhibition, See Gallery Portrait of a Tornado Path. New York, USA
2012 International Center of Photography Exhibiting Powerful Images from the 99 Percent. Governors Island, New York, USA
2011 Gallery Carte Blanche A Survey of Documentary Styles in Early 21st Century Photobooks
2011 Gallery Espacio MAD Venezuelan Portraits. Caracas, Venezuela
2011 Foto Week DC A Survey of Documentary Styles in Early 21st Century Photobooks. Washington DC, USA
2010 Praxis International Art (Miami) Time Behind the Vision. Miami USA Hacienda la Trinidad Gallery. Caracas, Venezuela
featured publications, press, and reviews
2022 Arts Contemporains & Anthropocène, under the direction of Danièle Méaux and Jonathan Tichit
2022 The Objectivity Laboratory - Propositions on Documentary Photography, Kerstin Hamilton, University of Gothenburg.
2022 Photographie contemporaine & anthropocene. Danièle Méaux, Filigranes Editions, France
2020 Les Cahiers de l’ARIP, Ce que l’Antropocène fait a la photographie environnemental. By Bénédicte Ramade, Université de Montréal
2020 La pratique photographique au sein du paradigme performatif de la recherche, Alejandro Cannock,France
2020 Le Temps, Syngenta dans le viseur du photographe Mathieu Asselin, Switzerland
2019 Fotograf, #33 Investigation, Czech Republic
2019 Enquêtes, Nouvelles formes de photographie documentaire, Danièle Méaux, Filigranes Editions, France
2019 Science of Communication Chapter 8, Monsanto A photographic Investigation: Between Justice and Fairness, Marina Feldhues, Brazil
2019 Metropolis M, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, Belgium, 2019 Deutschlandfunkkultu, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, Germany
2019 Creative Review, The Photography Annual, UK
2019 Art Press, Photo Investigation Nouvelles Formes Documentaires, France,
2019 FP Magazine, The Book, Italy
2019 L’Arlesienne, L’Odeur de l’Argent, Arles, France
2019 Photolux Magazine, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, France
2019 Toxic News, Exposing a Chemical Company, Department of Sociology, University of Warwick
2019 La Estrella de Panama, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, Panama
2019 Sciences et Avenir, l’Anthropocène en photos : un état des lieux de la planète, France
2019 The White Review, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, UK
2018 American Suburb X, Monsanto’s Corporate Horror: An Interview with Mathieu Asselin, UK
2018 The Guardian, Toxic neighbor: Monsanto and the poisoned town, UK
2018 The Guardian, Deutsche Börse photography prize shortlist, UK
2018 Professionele Photographie, Netherlands
2018 Docs, Portfolio, Poland
2018 Ciel Variable #119, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, Canada
2018 Fotoknjiga, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, Lithuania
2018 Paysageur #01, France
2018 Evening Standard, Art in London, Five exhibitions to see, UK
2017 Progressive Caucus, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, France
2017 The Guardian, Best Photography Books of 2017, UK
2017 Les lieux d’art, La chimie de l’horreur, France
2017 Huck Magazine, Rules Breakers, UK
2017 British Journal of Photography, What makes a project right for publication by British Journal of Photography UK
2017 European Photography #102, Germany
2017 Collector Daily, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation USA
2017 ADN Magazine. The Eye of the extreme. France
2017 The Eyes of Photography, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation France
2017 Colin Pantall. Book of the Month. UK
2017 Extra 22, FOMU, Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, Belgium
2017 FOAM Magazine, Propaganda, The Netherlands
2017 Liberation, Interview Mathieu Asselin, France
2017 Madame Figaro, review Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation France
2017 Agence France Presse, Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation. France
2017 British Journal of Photography. UK
2017 Katalog 28.2, Denmark
2017 France Inter, Monsanto a Human face with Mathieu Asselin
2017 Liberation, Plusieurs photographes abordent des sujets d’actualité pour renouveler une écriture documentaire engagée. France
2017 RFI, Cultural chronic
2017 Art Press, Documentary Vitality, France
2017 Le Nouveau Magazine Littéraire, review Monsanto une enquête photographique, France
2017 Geo Magazine, L’Oeil de Geo, France
2017 l’Humanité, La géopolitique dans les pixel d’Arles. France
2017 La Gazette, Monsanto l’enquête photographique de Mathieu Asselin. France
2017 Photobooks, Le Monde de la Photo, France
2017 La Libre, Arles ou la question du territoire, Belgium
2017 La Provence, Au cœur du scandale, France
2017 Le Temps, Arrêtons de sacrifier l’écologie, Switzerland
2017 Neo magazine, Portfolio, France
2017 Phothistory, Monsanto, une enquête photographique, de Mathieu Asselin, France
2017 PDN Pulse, 2017 Paris Photo-Aperture PhotoBook Prizes
2017 Gauchebdo, Photo Review, Switzerland
2017 Le Temps, Interview with Mathieu Asselin, Switzerland
2017 Corriere Della Sera, Il mondo nel mirino, Italy
2017 Imagine Demain le Monde, interview Monsanto une enquête photographique , Belgium
2017 Moustique, interview with Mathieu Asselin, Belgium
2017 Moustique, Grands Formats, Belgium
2017 l’Officiel Art, review Monsanto une enquête photographique, France
2017 Beaux Arts, review Monsanto une enquête photographique, France
2017 Le Journal des Arts, review Monsanto une enquête photographique, France
2017 Les Inrockuptibles, review Monsanto une enquête photographique, France
2017 Charlie Hebdo, review Monsanto une enquête photographique, France
2017 Liberation, interview with Mathieu Asselin
2017 France Info, review Monsanto une enquête photographique, France
2017 British Journal of Photography, interview with Mathieu Asselin, UK
2017 British Journal of Photography, BJP#7867 Cool + Noteworthy in 2017, UK
2017 The Best of LensCulture, Amsterdam
2017 Voices of Photography, Taiwan,
2017 Occupied Spaces – Ben Roberts & The Ninety-Nine Percent – Mathieu Asselin
2012 Propaganda Photos Books, politics and photography