Jour de Fête
Through carefully isolated moments and meticulously chosen light, Bohbot manipulates the photographic medium to reconcile past and present, constructing images that occupy a liminal space between the real and the imaginary. The nightmarish ride dubbed Power Maxxx is captured in such a way that its outlines are reduced to delicate color trails, its violent swinging motion painting hypnotic rainbows across the night sky. ‘A L’Ancienne’ reads the marquee of a massive stand selling all nature of sweets and ice creams, with an old ice cream parlor-style interior and awnings painted in bucolic vignettes. In English ‘à l’ancienne’ translates to ‘the old-fashioned way’, precisely what Bohbot aims to capture: a nostalgic conception of the past whose authenticity, insofar as such a thing exists, is irrelevant. Unlike in other series like Atlantic City or Last Stop – Coney Island, here his aim is not to expose but rather to veil the seediness of the environment, to resurrect, not quell the child’s naïve gaze. With their diffused palette, sense of atmospheric calm, and formal construction, these photographs defy the garish scenes, supplanting them with the softness and order of memory