“Distinguishing Features”
To combat racism,UM studentsUM in the spotlight. A traveling photo exhibition, on display through June at various University of Montpellier campuses.
Fascinating, luminous gazes that seem to call out to passersby… An extraordinary photo exhibition, displayed on cubes nearly 2 meters tall. This unique work steps outside the walls and is exhibited outdoors, in spaces open to the public, in order to better engage 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 just like every other woman and man on the planet: so similar, yet so different.
The exhibition playfully highlights this difference in unexpected ways. Each student is identified by their first name, age, nationality… and one little extra detail: each one offered the photographer a sentence. A simple sentence—unusual or serious, offbeat or enigmatic—that says something about them.
"Living Mirrors of theUM
“I slipped on my bike on the wet cobblestones in Le Peyrou: six stitches,” says Jean Bowaou, a 24-year-old Guinean with a beaming smile and a white bandage on his forehead. For Ines, it’s a cryptic bit of humor: “She shares her mother’s opinion: ‘Men are like lawns!’”says the beautiful Ivorian woman. Others mention belonging to a visible minority: “I’ve seen at most five other redheads like me 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 captures the essence of all humanity. They are an invitation to joy and connection. They radiate the joy of living together. They are the pride of the University of Montpellier,” explains Jean-Paul Udave,UM special advisor on combating racism and antisemitism.
Traveling Exhibition
Organized byUM the workUM photographer Karl Joseph, the exhibition “Signes particuliers” is on view on the Richter campus through October 9, and will then be shown at numerous university locations:
- 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 theUM studentsUM agreed to participate and let themselves be captured in a single sentence and a photo…
The Photographer
Karl Joseph was born in Cayenne, French Guiana. From a very early age, he wanted 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.