The Espace Belleville in Paris will be displaying 150 pictures by Philippe Rochot, Marc Mangin, Olivier Calicis, Romann Ramshorn and Tristan Siegmann through March 9, 2012.

It was deep inside historical Paris reminiscent of the Commune that photographer Marc Mangin found an attentive ear for his project via Anousheh Karvar, Secretary for the CFDT worker’s union who was willing to exhibit the works of his colleagues.

Over the years, the five photographers covered the routes of the Orient, from Algeria to Afghanistan via the countries of the near East. From the countries smelling of jasmine during their Arab spring to the smell of death in a Syrian winter, the works of these five reporters reveal the daily lives of these ancient civilizations.

No blood nor tears, just demonstrations. Philippe Rochot, senior reporter for France Télévisions: “I wanted to be a photographer” features prayers at Teheran University during the Iranian Revolution (1979) and demonstrations against the Chinese or Syrian military. His noteworthy picture of demonstrators carrying the portrait of Nasser in Ramallah, 2011, is also on display.

With Marc Mangin, we are absorbed by the sumptuous lighting in Iran’s Tabriz Bazaar (2009) or are tasting roast chicken in Peshawar, Pakistan (2006), without forgetting Morocco, Iran, China…

These five photographers take us through the Orient on a journey along the routes they traveled with their very different, sometimes contradictory, but always complementary, photographic points of view.

Michel Puech

Exhibition through March 9, 2012 (open Monday through Friday, 1pm to 9pm)

Espace Belleville 4, Boulevard de la Villette – 75019 Paris – Métro Belleville