Your name Mathis Benestebe Place of birth Saint-Nazaire, France Place where you live now Toulouse, France 3 words to describe you Obsessional, detached, observative Why do you take pictures? I'm very attached to archives, photography is the way I pursue this collecting. It's also allowing me to express emotions that I'm not really in touch with. Where do you get your inspiration? From personal thoughts, memories, and ordinary conversations Who are your influences? Mainly photographers who work on self-portraiture, intimate, social and personal subjects, : Nan Goldin, Samuel Fosso, Andres Serrano, Zanele Muholi What determines the subject matter you choose? Basically my every day life, little considerations that get big What impact would you like your art to have? For now, mainly to get in touch emotionally with the public and to lead to a better understanding of one's life experiences. What artwork do you never get bored with? The movie Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins Is there anything you want to add? Thanks for your work !
I'd like to understand why you find my neutral expression so sad. You may see the boredom of the unaware. Maybe one day I'll feel the regret of not being there. I offered you a tulip for our third anniversary. If I dropped this iron mask, would you recognize me? These last few years, my rare tears carried your name. Before that, I don't know. It takes time to come out of this breathless state.
Ventricule gauche is an intimate story about emotional dissociation, a defense mechanism I adopted as a child. This series explores the inner emptiness caused by this lack of emotion, and its current impact in my relationship with my partner.
