L'ANGLE Photo Gallery is presenting "Où vont les rêves" (Where Dreams Go), a captivating photography exhibition by Benjamin Juhel, running from August 22 to September 28, 2025. The exhibition explores the philosophical concept that "the desire for the ideal is the beginning of disenchantment," leaving behind dreams, the desire for illusion, hope, and the will to create while traveling through our inner myths.
Juhel presents a carefully curated new collection for the exhibition, featuring images selected from his recent years of work. The meditative and contemplative composition invites viewers into a world that evokes wandering, solitude, and the mysterious atmosphere of cities at night. The photographer's vision consistently maintains a distant and poetic quality that transports audiences to surreal, timeless realms.
The exhibition showcases three distinct yet harmonious series of imagery. The collection includes haunting photographs of a Californian city at night, characterized by empty and silent streets that create an almost ethereal atmosphere. Complementing these urban scenes are breathtaking snowy landscapes from Lapland captured during the heart of the polar night, where the extreme conditions create otherworldly beauty. The third component features majestic Venetian architecture, whose timeless grandeur adds to the exhibition's dreamlike quality.
Juhel's artistic approach transcends conventional photography by conceiving images in movement with the desire to write inner fictions. His work goes beyond mere documentation of reality, instead transcending what exists to offer viewers a theatrical and sacred perspective on familiar subjects. The photographer interprets the collective functions and images of cities to evoke our complex relationships to representations, inviting audiences to question their perceptions through poetic situations.
The collection is constructed like a navigation through the interplay of chiaroscuro, twilight, and various shades of black and half-light. This careful attention to lighting creates what Juhel describes as a "nocturnal trajectory," resembling a dream or illusion where long-term solitude and light are drawn together. The nighttime settings bring silence and solitude into being, creating contemplative spaces that encourage deeper reflection.
Juhel's photographic technique produces images with textures and lighting reminiscent of both classical painting and contemporary cinematography. The deliberate darkness of the images invites prolonged contemplation, encouraging viewers to take time to discover the subtle details presented. This approach allows the viewer's gaze to gradually capture the intricate details that emerge as eyes become accustomed to the various shades of black, revealing hidden layers of meaning and beauty.
The exhibition is housed at L'ANGLE - Galerie de photographies, located at 6, rue des Citronniers in Hendaye, France. Visitors have over a month to experience Juhel's evocative work, which challenges conventional perceptions of urban landscapes and natural environments while exploring the liminal spaces between dreams and reality.
