In his series KINGS, the talented film director, photographer and creative director Jeremi Durand has created a work that is both narrative and metaphorical, challenging social codes by questioning our vision of the individual’s place in today’s society. As the title indicates, the photographs captured the images of two brothers, unexpected kings for a day, who seem to be caught between youth and adulthood, dream and utopia, fiction and reality. An idea that was born last year, in the middle of the pandemic. ” These two brothers live in the suburbs of my hometown, St Etienne in France, and I found visually striking to place them in between the realms of dream and fantasy, where they could be kings for one day, having all the toys they could ever dream of, cars, even a castle, and why not own land too”, explains the artist.

He adds that for him, the appearance of the two brothers highlights the fact that they ” come from a minority community that; 1st deserves more inclusion and 2nd more credit. Two albinos brothers rule the world here, and they might very well do so in real life soon”. Interesting reflections and in full coherence with the message that Jeremi Durand transmits in his work. Indeed, the themes of his work often touch on what he describes as “social surrealism”, for him this consists of “creating and envisioning bold metaphorical visuals that have a social reach of any sort. Basically; never creating without meaning, and when creating, make sure that I question my audience, while not giving all the answers. I think it’s very important that Art, in general, keeps at opening doors and at questioning our ever-changing society, while leaving some parts unanswered for imagination’s sake. What I want to do is make you work too when you watch my visuals! “.

To discover more about the photographer and his work, visit his website.