“ROSACE BY YOHANN LEROY” – EDITORIAL - NOVEMBER 2024 November 2024 – My friend Yohann, whom I’d known only as a colleague at the time, came up to me for a favor. He wanted me to photograph him and his creations in preparation for his participation in the “Biennale Émergences,” a biennial event focused on artisanship and designed to provide young artists with a platform to showcase their work. I had never seen his creations before, and was instantly struck by their complexity and uniqueness. Yohann creates hand-engraved mirrors, a labor-intensive and meticulous process that is truly worthy of being called artisanship. The piece he prepared for the competition is entitled ‘Rosace.’ Composed of three hand-engraved mirrors with different motifs and colors, they overlap to form a rose window —a motif borrowed from Gothic architecture, echoing Yohann’s primary occupation as a scenographer. This profession hugely influences his art. CREDITS: Talent: Yohann Leroy Mirrors and Tools: Yohann Leroy Photography and Styling: Richie YE Captured on #mediumformat with #gfx50sii and on #portra400 with my #mamiyarb67 Developed and scanned by @sunbath.filmlab ☀️🫶 ANECDOTE: The picture is very special to me; it really encapsulates my version of a great portrait. A “great portrait” is a moment of intimacy and honesty, which is only possible through trust between the subject and the photographer. Yohann is insecure about the scar on the back of his neck. For him to so seamlessly expose his vulnerability to me is genuinely moving. I framed the shadow cast by the window to cut his scar in two, secretly emphasizing it, destroying it.