Levitation Photography. Flying Photography. Movement Art. French athlete, dancer, choreographer and artist Mathieu Forget, known as ForgetMat, has developed a singular and unique style of photography in which he literally springs forth into his own photographs, becoming subject and artist at once. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen something very new in photography and this is new. This is a combination of the photographic art at its highest level combined with perfection in performance. Essentially Mathieu Forget chooses his spot for the shoot, is his own artistic director deciding on the players who will also be in the frame and then the accomplished break dancer literally flies himself into the photograph after he has himself set the camera settings for the shot. He then does his fly-in — he is also known as the Flying Man — while an assistant presses the shutter release button or buttons for he works in both video and still photography. He checks the shot and if he doesn’t like his position he does it again and perhaps again and again.

His sports-themed works are currently on display in one of the Left Bank’s mythical places the La Hune bookshop and gallery now owned and operated by YellowKorner, a house specialized in photographic prints and which has over 85 galleries around the world. Here on the lofty second floor of the boutique, which is catty-corner to the celebrated Deux Magots café (now in its 140th year), a selection of his spectacular photographs are on display. These include a series of five new exciting adventures celebrating the Olympics (the Summer Games are being held in Paris this year). The photographs draw their inspiration from the five colors of the Olympic rings and the show is being held within the context of the Cultural Olympiade, an artistic and cultural program that is piloted by the cultural arm of the Paris Olympic and Paraolympique 2024 organisation.

In a number of the photographs in the exhibition The Flying Man is depicted with a celebrated athlete. Of note, the French Olympic gold medalist Florent Manaudou in what can only be described as a power butterfly shot with ForgetMat flying in the background. These are photographs that celebrate the beauty of movement. In some Mathieu Forget is alone in a spectacular setting, in others he is juxtaposed with another athlete or athletes executing a movement. All of the photographs in the exhibition are available in limited editions at the gallery and bookshop La Hune – YellowKorner, 16 Rue de l’Abbaye, 75006 Paris, France. Tel: + 33 (0) 1 42 01 71 83. https://www.yellowkorner.com/en/home. The Yellow Korner exhibition of ForgetMat is on until September 8th. And you can also see the spectacular shots at: https://forgetmat.com/
©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette