Passages by Maurice Henri at the Assumption Gallery
5/4/2016 12:00:00 AM
In May and June, the Assumption Gallery will welcome an exhibition by Maurice Henri, Passages. The well-known New Brunswick photographer is presenting around fifty photographs. This will be his third appearance at the Assumption Gallery.
"My camera is my voice. I'm showcasing the moment where I'm able to see, sense and capture the spirit of my subjects through their eyes," says Henri. Passages is a representation and an expression of the people that he has come across during his many travels around the world, between 2010 and 2014.
This exhibition presents people in their everyday living environments. Passages aims to engage viewers with street photography and to change our perceptions about different cultures and ways of life around the world. "My mission is to unite the hearts and minds of visitors by helping them understand the values and the self-affirmation that varies between different people. I want to provoke reflection about the reality of the world and its diversity," says the photographer.
His collection documents the lives of women and men and their interactions, in their own environments. From busy city streets to quiet village roads, his photographs invoke themes connected to the environments where his subjects live their lives. "These are small pieces of life, brief moments, stories told through the eye of the photographer. But while the moment is fleeting, the depiction is eternal. I look for emotion and try to create connections with my subjects, my message and my audience," says Henri.
Originally from Moncton, Maurice Henri has been a photographer since 1989. His technique involves using cameras that are discreet and compact, so as to not intimidate his subjects, and to capture striking photographs that convey the authenticity of the moment. Like Henri Cartier-Bresson, he tries to capture life and culture in a "decisive moment". "I enjoy photographing people, streets, landscapes, nature, architecture and the abstract - anything that captures my imagination," concludes the artist.