Magnum Photos
"The photographer finds himself divided between the desire to enter into the intimacy of others and the necessary distance that photography expects him to keep," writes @pzachmann.
Drawn to its enchanting atmosphere, Patrick Zachmann photographed during the night-time throughout the 1990s and 2000s, relying primarily on artificial light to create an evocative series of cinematic nightscapes. Inspired by the nocturnal underbelly of China – a country he has returned to repeatedly throughout his career – Zachmann set out to capture the transience of the night as it unfolded in dimly lit streets, city corners and nightclubs.
"In the role of an observer, he positions himself on the edge of the world that he is studying. Solitarily scrutinizing the city in obscurity, he hesitates between entering into this nocturnal universe or staying outside it. My photographs are the story of this double attraction.”
PHOTOS (left to right):
(1) In the backyard of a house in Bamako. Mali. 2003.
(2) 12th arrondissement. Paris, France. 2005.
(3) “Buenos Aires News” nightclub. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 1997.
(4) Paris by night. Montmartre, Paris. France. 2005.
(5) Evening reception at the Academy of Fine Arts. Beijing, China. 2001.
(6) Singer Jiang Xin in her car in Sanlitun. Beijing, China. 2001.
(7) Former mingong worker who became homeless after he had worked on a construction site for one year without being paid. Canton, China. 2005.
(8) Train leaving from Nha Trang to Hue. Vietnam. 2002.
(9) Red light district. Amsterdam, Netherlands. 2004.
(10) Canton, China. 2005.
© @pzachmann / Magnum Photos