Creating a Book: A Photography Project
© Hervé Jezequel
The exhibition features works by 150 students from the school, created between 2010 and 2025 as part of a photography course offered at the master’s level. These works take the form of a self-published book, accompanied by photographic prints.
“For a book is also a construction,” writes historian Michel Frizot.
The exhibition is organized around five themes, deliberately spread throughout the gallery space: “Across the City, ” where the student develops his perspective on architecture and urban mobility. In “Getting Some Fresh Air, ” they satisfy their desire to escape through day trips and more distant journeys. “Melancholia” reveals their attachment to the past, family ties, and geographical distance, as well as their self-reflection and sense of intimacy. “Daily Life” chronicles the student’s life at home, at school, and with others. Finally , “Photographic Explorations” showcases the student’s discovery of the medium through a variety of visual experiments.
Based on a proposal by Curator Hervé Jézéquel, head of the visual arts department and an educator, the exhibition features nearly 150 books and approximately 160 photographic prints, all produced in-house specifically for this occasion.
During their academic studies in architecture at ENSA Paris-la Villette, students are given the opportunity to discover and explore photography by developing ideas and practices that are the very essence of this medium: film photography, storytelling, and book design.
Students carry out a personal photography project, freely choosing both the subject and the technique (film/digital, color/black-and-white, etc.). They observe, develop their own perspective, and document their experience as students—citizens and future architects. The educational project becomes a process of learning to see—a way of looking at oneself, at others, or at the world beyond—that subverts the conventions of an increasingly iconic and “derealizing” form of photography.
Curated by:
- Hervé Jézéquel, Head of the Visuals Department
Featuring the students’ photography projects:
- 2025/2026: Sarah Assioux, Ioana Benghe, Maella Coignet, Layla Klouche, Yoan Legall, Nora Rafeiner, Clément Riondet, and Karine Phuong Anh To
- 2024/2025: Lucie Adam, Clara Armatol, Lorenz Buhler, Isabella Cavalcanti Betioli, Rebecca Daval, Teresa Engschmied, Victor Espérou du Tremblay, Paz Ferrer, Victoria Goyer, Juliette Jorand, Jasmin Maffi, Alisa Mazore, Niels Morsten, Léa Notsch, Soisick Nzohabonayo, Maarten Op de Beeck, Colyne Paris, Beatriz Picado Martins, Léa Riffi Gantier, Florent Roosen, Eva Santoni, Alexandra Stephan, Renata Teixeira, Emilie Van Hoorebeke, Eloïse Vanholder, Emilia Vogt, and Emil Wiesmaier
- 2023/2024: Paul Amrieh, Aigli Athanasiou, Giulio Battifieri, Arthur Cariot, Michael Hager, Karin Karintasugawa, Wenceslao Bruno Rivera, Angelica Rizzato, Maria Clara Rodrigues Vergueiro, and Elin Tromer
- 2022/2023: Beatriz Barbosa, Leane Bardaud, Jacky Boisteau, Manon Bougette, Laura Burger, Julie Cuche, Eusebio Calloix, Laura Deceuninck, Myiu Ishihara, Rovira Margalef, Marlene Mayr, Léo Migrenne, Ariane Ondaye, Angie Panagiotopoulos, Victor Planquais, Maria Benedetta Pulido, Elena Schedler, and Kenza Sahel
- 2021/2022: Carla Barsanti, Liam Buffat, Flora Chiaratto, Léa Destombes, Diana Furnea, Elza Gaitniece, Lamia Kocaman, Sofia Labarello, Faustine Lecauchois, Hannah Lucius, Raphael Merlet, Manou Pjistra, Foteini Pouliou, Chiara Janina Schmid, Oriana Rey Sandoval, Catarina Teixera, Fernanda Vaidegon, Noah Valli Orso, and Karla Yumari
- 2020/2021: Émilie Anandapane, Salma Belmekki, Rihana Chebli, Julia Defour, Florian Fillaut, Patricia Fructuoso, Steve Graciet, Nour Karray, Thibault Lefaucheux, Camille Magloire, Jean Baptiste Mallard, Ana Miranda, Guzel Onur, Simon Rialland, Chiara Janina Schmid, Violette Sirot, and Ioanna Tatouli
- 2019–2020: Magdalena Achaval, Laura Garcimartin, Ana Imperatore, Francisco Landa, Franck Lopez, Anna Meerson, Sanaz Pilehvaran, Veronica Sojo, and Verdiana Tersi
- 2018–2019: Abel Buen Abad, Laura Garcimartin, Jeong Eun Kim, Thaís Mancini, Thomas Marcel, Débora Mayumi Segawa Okamoto, Jaime San Martin, Bavo Smets, and Robin Vandenbussche
- 2017/2018: Ilina Cvetkova, Marie Coatantiec, Mélanie Coget, Paula Deante Serrano, Carole Debuck, Mina Hardan, Louise Lepage, Manon Lermant, Mario Lopez Alcolea, Winke Meyvaert, Audrey Mertens, Aude Nasr, Fabio Papandrea, Shayesteh Parisa, Shadi Ploye, Giulia Prayer Galetti, Clémence Saint-Maurice, Giulia Vaccari, Antonella Vignotti, and Marcela Waldeck
- 2016/2017: Raja Aswad, Vincenzo Bellizzi, Maria Magdalena Benitez Cardellino, Marion Chapon, Giulia d’Alessandro, Joke Deckers, Joppe Douma, Solenn Falaise, Juliette Fezans, Dafne Georgoudis, Giulia Gioia, Maria Guerra, Marie Malingreau, Anastasia Printziou, Alice Randazzo, Marion Toutin, Leander Venlet, Mikaela Vindman, and Enora Yang
- 2015/2016: Raja Asswad, Lena Beys, Coralie Bourdelin, Joan Carayon, Thomas Daubernay, Veronika Desova, Foivos Geralis, Giovanna Obrietan, Emanuela Passadore, James Ross Pontarelli, Javier Sanagustin Canudo, Anna Scalfati, Katia Soudni, John Stenzel, and Ayaka Tomari
- 2014–2015: Nicolas Balzarini, Baptiste Bousquet, Pedro Caiado, Guillaume Florimond, Rute Garcia, Leopold Strobl, and Clément Torrielec
- 2013–2014: Renat Araujo Castillo, Flora Belotti, Tobias Bierler, Cléo De Laet, Sandra Panzer, and Giulia Zucca
- 2012–2013: Eva Kreitmeir, Louise Laugier, Jihad Lemqari, Consuelo Mardones, Amandine Pageais, Filipe Rafael, and Harry Tuke
- 2009–2010: Pauline Schwab and Reto Wasser
Production:
- Lucie Adam, Emma Dong, Victor Espérou du Tremblay, Nicolas Him, Juliette Jorand, Alisa Mazore, Joseph Monote, Roland Perrichon, Clément Riondet, instructors
- Clément Boulard, Head of the Digital Workshop
- Margaux Vegnant and Bruno Weiss, video technicians, video workshop
- Jacques Bergna, Oscar Chiu de Margerie, and Marc Fayolle de Mans, educational and administrative coordinators, model-making workshop
- Abdallah Sahli, Deputy Head of the Department, and Ahmed Baramat, Jean-Marie Nedelec, and Abdoulaye Wadji, Logistics and Facilities Department
Exhibition open Monday to Friday 10am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm. Free admission.
Opening reception on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
This exhibition has been designated a “Bicentennial of Photography” event by the Ministry of Culture and is part of the official Bicentennial program, which runs from September 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
200 YEARS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LET’S CELEBRATE THE VIEWS
From September 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027, the Ministry of Culture is organizing the Bicentennial of Photography, a major, open, and festive celebration that highlights collections, contemporary photography, photographic publishing, and the various professions within the field of photography.
Several hundred certified events (exhibitions, conferences, film screenings, film education projects, etc.) will take place in metropolitan France, the overseas territories, and some 30 other countries.
The Bicentennial of Photography is being organized by the Ministry of Culture, with the support of a scientific committee chaired by Dominique de Font-Réaulx, an art historian specializing in the 19th century and photography, and chief curator at the Louvre Museum, and with a very broad range of stakeholders from the fields of culture, education, and research.
Check out the schedule at https://bicentenairephotographie.fr
