Leftover Banknotes Make Good Portraits, 7 Mercenaries by Philippe Petremant
Serge Gainsbourg (in)famously lit up bank notes on French TV 30 years ago.
Rather than destroying money, another French artist turns leftover banknotes into provocative portraits. By folding one note over another and photographing them, Philippe Petremant gives combination another dimension.
English language sites introduce the serie of 7 portraits as 'Magnificent Seven' yet Philippe Petremant told me that it is actually 'The Seven Mercenaries' ('Les Sept Mercenaires'). He 'blames' Google for series name being lost in translation.
It was originally shown at Galerie Le Reverbere in Lyon (where Philippe lives and work) and titled 'That's all folks! les sept mercenaires- Les Contrees Nulles' in 2010.
Contrees Nulles more or less means hopeless countries, places.
Les Sept Mercenaires 'The Seven Mercenaries' series can be seen at Circulations, the festival of young European photography until March 31, 2013.
Circulations 2013 takes place in Parc de Bagatelle, Paris, France.
I discovered Philippe Petremant's work via Phaidon Agenda on March 12 and then asked Philippe for his authorization to share his work here.
(* Top image is 'atchoum elizabeth' and bottom one is 'joyeux mao', both from Circulations Festival site)