Pierre Faure, Documenting The Rise Of Poverty In France

Pierre Faure was born in Nice in 1972, studied economics, and then lived with a Gypsy community for a year, photographing their daily tasks. This gave him a first-hand understanding of how precarious it is to live from one government support cheque to the next. He decided to concentrate on the lives of people living on the margins, in emergency accommodation centers, by living with them for long periods of time, even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He lives on prizes, grants, and the sale of prints at VOZ’Galerie. In working this way, people understand that he is not representing any governmental agency or corporate group. He is simply there, can talk freely, and make honest images. He notes that poverty is on the rise in France.

His list of exhibitions is extensive. He believes that by bearing witness to poverty is what he must do, and hopes that some people may come to understand that poverty is a result of political and economic choices. But he seems to hold no expectation that photography can change the world.

Les Gisants (detail) by Pierre Faure, from the VOZ’Galerie website describing works in it’s collection.