Nicolas Lahoun, Nose Ride, 2023, DEUSS Gallery
Nicolas Lahoun lives and works in Biarritz, a coastal town on the southwestern coast of France, about 35 kilometers from the Spanish border. As a result, his poetic and monochrome images are marked by the sea and moving bodies in and around the water. The photographer has a preference for old cameras, especially 35mm and medium format cameras. On Instagram, he shares very little information about the images themselves but he often details the technical equipment that he used, such as the Makina 67, Nikon F or Yashica mat124g camera, as well as the type of film he used. His practice is characterised by experiments in the darkroom and layering techniques. Nicolas
Lahoun has a great fondness for Japanese culture, reflected in his use of traditional Japanese washi paper, which he applies over a stretcher frame or mounts on wood. It's also visible in his application of Japanese brushes for adhering his works. His creative process is notable for its thoughtful slowness and keen attention to detail. There is room for surprises and imperfections like small tears, stains, and rough edges — and the inherent beauty therein. The resulting images appear both vintage and timeless. The scratches and textures in the image seem to refer to the imperfect and fragmentary nature of memories, but also to the degradation of physical photography as time passes. The washi paper that the artist uses is made from natural fibers and is characterised by its soft and tangible texture. Washi paper is highly absorbent, ideal for ink, paint, and other liquids. In Lahoun's practice, this involves a silver emulsion, after which the treated paper is passed through various baths of developer, stop bath, and fixer, rendering it softer and more fragile, before drying the material to regain its firmness.
Flo Linckens
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