Yves Trémorin (ENG)

“ From the beginning, Yves Trémorin has developed his work using the photographic medium in its own specific way, isolating his subjects in a fragmentary manner. His images are staged without any contextual clues.” Jean-Marc Huitorel

Biography

Yves Trémorin was born in 1959 in Rennes, France.
After studying mathematics and numerical analysis, he decided to devote himself to photography. From his earliest works in the early 1980s, he established his main lines of work with the first photographs he took of his partner Monique or his grandmother Ernestine, whose radical aesthetic value through the prism of uncompromising realism is still relevant today.
In 1984 he met Florence Chevallier and Jean-Claude Bélégou, and from 1986 to 1991 they formed the group Noir Limite, whose aim was to explore the limits of photography. The group published several manifestos and staged performances and exhibitions, some of which, such as Corps à corps, caused such a scandal that they were censored. Since then, with the precision of an entomologist assembling a collection of objects for study, Yves Trémorin has developed a body of work that is rigorous in its procedures and processes, using the photographic medium in his own specific way, isolating his subjects in a fragmentary manner. Staged within a parameterized apparatus, stripped of any contextual, spatial or temporal reference, freed from any anecdote, they become emblems, mythological figures or symbolic objects in his extremely spare images.

In details,

1980-1999

Yves Trémorin, a renowned photographer, embarked on his photographic career in 1977, capturing his initial nudes. Notably, in 1983-1984, he created « Cette femme-là« , a series featuring his grandmother, laying the foundation for his future themes. The following years saw the emergence of significant projects such as « La Mère » and « Les Visages froissés. »
In 1986, Trémorin co-founded the art collective group – Noir Limite , alongside Jean-Claude Bélégou and Florence Chevallier, exploring the medium’s representational capacities. The group’s debut exhibition, « Révélation publique, » occurred in 1986. However, the « Corps à corps » exhibition in 1987 faced a ban but was eventually displayed in 1988, marking a pivotal moment for Noir Limite.
The early ’90s witnessed Trémorin’s exploration of themes like death and intimacy, showcased in projects like « La Mort » « La Chambre close » and « Les Amants magnifiques« .

Notably, his first commission, « Celtic Landscapes » in 1990, led to a departure from monochrome works.
The 1990s brought a shift with Trémorin’s foray into color photography, exemplified by « La Tribu » in 1992. This period also saw the dissolution of Noir Limite and the introduction of projects like « Les Natures mortes« , « Dernier rempart » and « Arizona. »
In 1994, Trémorin’s focus shifted to familial themes with « Les Ventres » and « le Nouveau-né » preceding the « Poupig » series in 1995. His engagement with video art began in 1997 with « We Others » and collaboration on « Les Brigades vertes« .
A retrospective exhibition at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rennes in 1999 marked a pivotal moment in Trémorin’s career. Subsequent years brought further exploration, including a return to California and the creation of the « Vegetal » ensemble.
Yves Trémorin’s artistic journey is a dynamic exploration of themes, mediums, and collaborations, showcasing his evolution as a photographer over the years.

2000- 2014

In 2000, upon his return to France, Trémorin delved into the « Guns » series, capturing his son’s revolver collection against colored backgrounds. The exploration of personal spaces continued in 2001-2002 with the « Objets » series, featuring various items from his home.
Simultaneously, video projects remained an integral part of Trémorin’s work. « Yves Trémorin pense à Gilles Mahé » in 2001 paid homage to a departed friend, while « La raison de l’âge » in 2002 explored the father-son relationship with his son Ael. « Un atelier vidéo » in 2004 involved collaborating with prisoners in a detention center.
Collaborations persisted, with Trémorin co-directing « Projets de projets » with Jean-Philippe Lemée in 2002 and creating a music video for Super Discount 2, « Fast track » with Marie de Crécy in 2004.
Digital photography became a new avenue in 2003-2004, resulting in three ensembles: « AM » « Rogatons » and « Rose Digitale » compiled in the book « Numérique » in 2005. A 2005 commission from the Centre National des Arts Plastiques for Images au Centre led to the creation of « Blasons & Figures » exhibited at the Château de Châteaudun.
Transparency became a thematic focus in 2006 with the series « Le Merle » and « L’Huître, » followed by « Tag » and « NeonBoy » in 2007, featuring his son as the model.
The « Homographies » trilogy concluded with « Chine Intérieure » in 2007, a video collaboration with a Tai-chi-chuan club in Rennes. In 2008, a joint commission enabled Trémorin to create and disseminate images through by-products, showcased at the « Breizhtorythm » store.
International endeavors took Trémorin to Mexico in 2009, where he produced a series leading to a book and exhibitions titled « La Dérivée Mexicaine. »
In 2011, collaboration with the electron microscope at the École nationale supérieure d’art de Bourges resulted in the « Soleils Noirs » series. The following year, during an exhibition at the Centre photographique d’Île-de-France, he created the « Créteil Laplace » series during a workshop with a middle-school class in Créteil.
From 2012-2013, responding to a commission from the Centre photographique Rouen Normandie, Trémorin produced a substantial body of work, « Vikings, une expédition normande » drawing inspiration from Scandinavian mythology.

2015-2023

In 2015, Trémorin turned his attention to his garden, meticulously observing the changing seasons, resulting in the captivating « Mystic Garden » series. From 2016-2017, he revisited the thematic protocol of his initial series, this time photographing his 91-year-old mother in color for the poignant « Mother/Daughter » series. Additionally, for the Incise gallery in Charleroi, he created two large-scale lightbox portraits of children titled « De sable aux enfants d’or. » Invited by the Alliances Françaises d’Amérique Centrale, Trémorin returned to Guatemala and Honduras in July 2017, producing the impactful ‘Viaje al centro de América’ series. This project resulted in a book published by Sophos Guatemala and an exhibition in 2018 at the Alliance française gallery in Guatemala City. In 2019, during a residency at Réseau Diagonal’s Capsule in Le Bourget, he created and exhibited the thought-provoking « E.V.A » (Extra-Vehicular Activity) series, accompanied by a book with a preface by Jacques Arnould. This period marked the beginning of his collaboration with composer and cellist Séverine Ballon, resulting in several films, including « E.V.A./ Chant mécanique » in 2022. In 2020, Trémorin, during the confinement, produced the introspective « Luminothérapie » photographic series in collaboration with Monique and his mother Hélène. Additionally, he and his son Ael began shooting the film « Elégie à Hélène » completed in December 2021. In the same year, Trémorin published « Monica » with Editions Lamaindonne, a book recognized as a finalist for the Nadar Prize and the winner of the HIP Prize for Monograph of the Year. The exhibition « Ernestine, Hélène et Monica » at Galerie VU’ in Paris in 2022 showcased his images spanning over forty years of three generations of women. Two prints from his « Les Amants magnifiques » series were featured in the significant exhibition « Métamorphose – La photographie en France 1968-1989″ at the Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier. In 2023, a residency at the Champ des impossibles in the Perche region enabled Trémorin to produce the evocative « Houyhmhmns » series, focusing on Percheron horses. This residency added another dimension to his diverse and rich body of work, demonstrating his continuous exploration and creativity in the realm of photography. In 2023 – 2024, Yves Trémorin is present in both major exhibitions in Paris about photography at the BNF museum : Epreuves de la matière – la Photographie contemporaine et ses métamorphoses et Noir & Blanc : une esthétique de la photographie. He will be exhibited at Galerie Vu’ in March 2024.

Public and private collections

Yves Trémorin’s works are notably part of the collections of many FRACs[50] and French museums (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, Musée Réattu[51], Musée Français de la photographie…), the Los Angeles Museum of Arts[52], the Bibliothèque nationale de France[53], and the Neuflize OBC collection.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

Monde Double Galerie VU’, Paris, France, 2024 Ernestine, Hélène et Monica, Galerie VU’, Paris, France, 2022.
Soleils Noirs, 12 biennale d’art contemporain de La Havane, Galerie Alliance Française, 2019.
E.V.A., Galerie La Capsule, Le Bourget, 2019
Viaje al centro de América, galerie de l’alliance française, Guatemala City, 2018.
Emblemas, Cooperación Española en La Antigua Guatemala et Casa Norte, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, 2017.
Les Amants magnifiques, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, 2017.
De Sable aux enfants d’or, Installation, galerie Incise, Charleroi,Belgique, 2017.
Solutions Partielles, commissariat Françoise Paviot, espace Van Gogh, Arles, 2016.
Emblemas, Festival Guatephoto, galerie de l’alliance française, Guatemala City, 2015.
Soleils noirs, La Box, biennale d’art contemporain de Bourges et Galerie Michèle Chomette, Paris, 2012.
La Dérivée mexicaine, Centre Régional Photographique Douchy-les-Mines ; Centre Atlantique de la Photographie, Brest ; Artothèque de Caen et Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, 2011  et Centre Photographique d’Ile-de-France, 2012. Les Amants magnifiques, Alliance française, festival Fotosetiembre, Mexico DF, 2009. Breizhtorythm, centre d’art passerelle, Brest, 2008.
Homographies, Le Triangle, Rennes, 2006.
Blasons & Figures, commande du CNAP pour le festival Images au Centre, Château de Châteaudun, Châteaudun, 2005 Twist to East, Dum Umeni, Brno, République Tchèque, 2001.
Guns, Galerie Gilles Peyroulet & Cie, Paris, 2000.
D’ar Ger, Musée des Beaux Arts de Rennes, 1999. We Others, Galerie Gilles Peyroulet & Cie, Paris, 1999 et Frac Basse Normandie, Caen, 2000.
Poupig, Théâtre de l’Hôtel de Ville, Le Havre et Galerie Gilles Peyroulet & Cie, Paris, 1998.
Natures mortes, Mai de la photographie, Collège des Jésuites, Reims, 1995.
Tribu – Natures mortes, Prieuré des Bénédictins, Vitré, 1994.
Catherine, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Galerie Colbert, Paris ; Galerie Joseph Dutertre, Rennes et Galerie du Chai, Saint-Brieuc, 1993.
Noir Limite au Grand Magasin, Espace Monoprix, Rennes, 1992. Noir Limite aux Abattoirs, Cathédrale des Anciens Abattoirs, Le Havre, 1991.
Composite Noir Limite, Maison des Arts, Evreux, 1990. Busto-Arsizio, Palazzo Cicogna, Italie, 1990.
De cette femme, galerie Angle Corum, Montpellier, 1990.
Noir Limite – Corps à corps, exposition censurée et annulée, Maison de la Culture de Bourges, 1988 et Abbaye de Graville ; Galerie Suzel Berna, Antibes ; La Base, Levallois-Perret (commissariat : Bernard Lamarche-Vadel) et Musée des Beaux Arts du Havre, 1989.
Les Froissés, Le Parvis, Tarbes, 1987.
Noir Limite, Maison de la Culture, Bourges et Galleria dell Imagine, Savignano, Modene, Italie, 1987. Cette femme-là, Maison de la Culture, Rennes, et Galerie Perrain, Paris, 1985

GROUP SHOWS

Métamorphose – La photographie en France 1968-1989, commissaires d’exposition Michel Poivert et Anna Grumbach, 2022
Noir et Blanc, Grand Palais (Paris), 2020 50 ans de Photographie Française, Domaine National du Palais-Royal, Paris, 2020.
Osmoscosmos, Centre de la Photographie, Genève, 2019.
Oser la photographie, Musée Réattu, Arles, 2015. Aux frontières de l’intime, Musée français de la photographie, 2014. Nuage,Musée Réattu, Arles, 2013
La Photographie en France, 1950-2000, commissariat Gilles Mora / Alain Sayag, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, 2012. Bang! Bang!, CCA Andratx, Mallorca, 2011.
Conversations entre oeuvres, L’Imagerie, Lannion (Un Hommage à Bernard Lamarche-Vadel), 2010.
Dans l’oeil du critique, Bernard Lamarche-Vadel et les artistes, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris / ARC, 2009. Soirées Rayon Frais, cinéma Elysées – Biarritz, Paris, 2007.
Réinventer le Visible, 20 ans de photographie contemporaine dans la collection de la Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Kunsthalle Erfurt, Allemagne, 2006.
Gewalt Bilder, Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Suisse, 2002 Le siècle du corps, Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Suisse, 2000.
A l’ouvert du monde, Frac Bretagne, Galerie du Faouëdic, Lorient, 1999. Acquisitions 1996-1997, FDAC Seine Saint-Denis, Forum culturel du Blanc-Mesnil, 1999.
Devenirs, Passage de Retz, Frac Ile de France, Paris, 1999.
La Mort, Galerie Gilles Peyroulet & Cie, Paris, 1999.
Body Icons, Centre photographique, Skopelos, Grèce, 1998.
L’Avant-garde est-elle bretonne ?, FRAC Bourgogne, Dijon, 1998.
Europa – Encontros de Fotografia de Coimbra, Galeria do Museu antropológico da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal, 1997.
Les lieux du non-lieu – L’état des choses dans la photographie française contemporaine, Künstlerwerkstatt Lothringerstrasse, Munich, Allemagne, 1997.
Objectif Corps, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Canada, 1997.
The 90’s : A Family of Man?, Casino Luxembourg, Luxembourg Transit – 60 artistes nés après 60, Commissariat : Christine Macel, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts, Paris Elegant Intimacy, Retretti Art Centre, Punkaharju, Finlande, 1993.
En liberté. Contemporary French Photography, Kawasaki City Museum, 1992 et International Center of Photography Midtown, New York, 1991 ;
Musée Nicéphore Niepce, Châlon-sur-Saône, 1991 Fotografia actual em França, Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian, Centro de Arte Moderna, Lisbonne, Portugal, 1990.
Aspects très contemporains de la photographie en France, Commissaire Bernard Lamarche-Vadel, Institut Français, Fribourg, 1989.
Le Château d’eau – pôle photographique de Toulouse, 1988.
Splendeurs et misères du corps, Triennale de Friburg, Suisse et Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, 1988.
Moins Trente, Centre national de la photographie, Paris, 1985 et 1987.

WHAT IS “NOIR LIMITE” ?

A collective of 3 photographers – Yves Trémorin / Florence Chevallier and Jean-Claude Bélégou