“Distinguishing Features”
To combat racism, students at the University of Montpellier are putting themselves out there. A traveling photo exhibition, on display through June at various University of Montpellier campuses.
Fascinating, luminous gazes that seem to draw the passerby in… An extraordinary photo exhibition, displayed on cubes nearly 2 meters tall. This unique work steps outside the walls and is exhibited outdoors, in public spaces, to better connect with viewers…
Striking portraits
Their names are Oneil, Xueping, Malika, and Vera.
What do they have in common? They are all students at the University of Montpellier. They are between 18 and 24 years old.
What sets them apart? Almost everything, at least on the surface. They are like all the women and men on the planet: so similar, yet so different.
A difference that the exhibition playfully brings to life in unexpected ways. Each student is identified by their first name, age, nationality… and a little something extra: each one offered the photographer a sentence. A simple sentence—unusual or serious, offbeat or enigmatic—that says something about them.
“Living Mirrors of the UM”
“I slipped on my bike on the wet cobblestones of Le Peyrou: six stitches,” says Jean Bowaou, a 24-year-old Guinean sporting a beaming smile and a white bandage on his forehead. For Ines, it’s a cryptic bit of humor:“Shares her mother’s opinion: ‘Men are like the lawn!’”says the beautiful Ivorian woman. Others mention their membership in a visible minority: “Has seen at most five other redheads like her on campus,” confides Margaux, an 18-year-old French woman with a Madonna-like smile.
“These faces are a living reflection of the University of Montpellier. They bear witness to its openness to the world and to diversity. Through the spectrum of these gazes, the photographer paints a picture of humanity as a whole. They are an invitation to joy and connection. They shine with the joy of living together. They are the pride of the University of Montpellier,” explains Jean-Paul Udave, special advisor on anti-racism and anti-Semitism at UM.
Traveling exhibition
Organized by the UM and featuring the work of photographer Karl Joseph, the exhibition “Signes particuliers” is on view at the Richter Campus through October 9, and will then travel to various locations across the university:
- Montpellier Triolet: March 23–April 10
- Montpellier Richter: April 10–April 30
- Nîmes – IUT: April 30–May 15
- Montpellier School of Education: May 15–29
Thank you to all the UM students who agreed to participate and let themselves be captured in a sentence and a photo…
The photographer
Karl Joseph was born in Cayenne, French Guiana. From a very early age, he sought to capture in images the realities of this land shaped by oral tradition. From that point on, photography became an integral part of his life. In 2011, he co-founded the Rencontres Photographiques de Guyane festival. Considering himself first and foremost a documentary photographer, he is particularly interested in the relationship between people and their territories, especially as it relates to current migration trends.