Pairs, France — The beautiful at times haunting photographs of Laurent Hini are being showcased in an exhibition being held in the offices of the notarial firm of DixSept68 Notaires which has just launched an endowment fund for contemporary artists. The exhibition is played out in three series. The first, Seul(e) à Paris (Alone in Paris) was a series undertaken in Paris during the second confinement period between November of 2020 and June of 2021. For seven months the photographer captured a real or fictional individual in eight emblematic Parisian locations underscoring the contrast of an actor alone in a world that was empty. The beautiful Cirque d’Hiver which is usually filled to the brim with circus fans was one of the most striking works in the show. The Eiffel Tower and the Grand Rex movie theater (A kind of French Radio City Music Hall) also opened up their doors to the photographer in this unique period of time in Paris. A second series entitled Corps vêtements (Body Clothing) features studio portraits undertaken in 2019 exploring the use of technology and science to vanquish aging and death. The third series of photographs entitled Disparition (Disappearance) combines portrait photography with sketched outlines and explores the human body with some parts « erased » by the artist. An auction of three prints of the Alone in Paris series was held at the stunning opening soirée of the exhibition with the funds being donated to the French public hospital system.

DixSept68 Notaires’ s endowment fund aims to promote and offer support to contemporary artists. The Parisian headquarters of the firm — located in the elegant neighborhood of Saint-Augustin —will be open to the public by appointment for two exhibitions a year showcasing the artists they support. It is a first in France for a notarial office. DixSept68 Notaires was founded 253 years ago in 1768 as its name indicates with DixSept meaning 17 in French followed by the number 68. It should be noted that notaries in France also perform services that are generally undertaken by lawyers in the United States like drawing up wills and trusts and overseeing real estate transactions.
Exhibition until May 4th
©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette
https://www.1768notaires.fr/