Pêcheurs d’Asie

Biography Jean-François Mutzig His vocation began in Lille where he was born in 1962. He was 14 years old when his uncle Didier introduced him to the work of the development laboratory: mystery of the secrets of manipulation in the dark, magic of appearance of the image, an incomparable moment when the artist becomes a craftsman. He works with his hands to underline a shape or to model the softness of a black on the sensitive paper. The taste for this work will not leave him, even when he naturally switches to digital photography. Jean-François Mutzig is known for his long-term work on the relationship between animals and humans, in particular on the ancestral complicity that unites the Asian elephant to its mahout. A founding experience which gave rise to a personal photographic approach which gave rise to the publication of several works including the book: “Des éléphants et des hommes”, published by “Les Clichés de l’Aventure”. His images presented at festivals in France earned him the prize for best photography and best reportage for his subject on the Galician pony “A Rapa Das Bestas”, which appeared in the columns of the magazine Géo. Present abroad, he received the “Days Japan” Jury Prize for his editorial on the Asian elephant and the logging of precious woods in the Burmese forests. In 1984, he left Lille, his hometown, to settle near Manosque, in the south of France. He joined the regional press. Very quickly, he seeks to express his creativity, fascinated by the image and the movement of humanist photographers. Sabine Weiss, Hans Silvester, Roland Michaud will cross his path and become his friends. His reports published in the Dauphiné Libéré contrast with his long-term approach on subjects that challenge him and can mobilize him for several years. The photographer always makes sure to be where he seems to have to be. He captures the moment with sensitivity and respect. For him, a successful photograph touches the viewer, moves him and above all does not leave him indifferent. When we look at the author’s career, we notice the special and intimate relationship he establishes with the people, places and animals he highlights. Each of his images contains a complex universe of shared experiences and emotions.