Acjl
We met Acjl , a French photographer born in 1962, whose gaze captures the sensitive beauty of the world around him. His work explores pure emotion, the kind that emerges from a moment, a gesture, or a flash of light, revealing a deep connection between the artist and his subject.
A passionate observer from a young age, Acjl spontaneously captures what moves him—nature, animals, faces, objects, or scenes from life—everything that, in his words, reflects “a part of ourselves.” His instinctive and sincere approach transforms each image into a shared experience, where the viewer finds themselves at the crossroads of the sensitive and the real.
Hello Acjl, what inspired you to create artwork and become an artist?
Life has been teaching me since 1962.
She made me practice around thirty professions, and made me visit or work in around twenty countries, on three continents.
Being an artist-photographer today is a logical continuation of these life experiences.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with to date?
“I am” my inspiration and my intuition.
If I am touched, if I am moved, it is surely because I am in the right place at the right time!
Since I was young, I have observed and shared what I find beautiful, powerful and expressive.
Nature, Animals, Children, Women, Men, Constructions, Objects, Events, Situations... and everything that captures my attention in a very subjective way.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
My soul, my spirit and my body are unique, as every living being is unique.
My finished work is the fruit of what "I am."
When I work with models, I capture their essence, their deep personality.
What interests me is that they are the Person they really are, beyond the character they usually play to appear.
Between Being or appearing, I choose Being...
Ani oosumɔ ni ohala gbɛi? (2023)Photography by Acjl
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from the Source.
This Source which illuminates and inspires all spirits...
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I want every viewer to give themselves the right to be inspired or disgusted according to their own sensitivity.
Every photo and every creation exhibited in the ArtMajeur gallery has the same generic title, this title being translated into several hundred different languages and dialects.
This title is: "Would you like to choose a title?"
In my opinion, what a viewer sees and feels depends on their filters, their life.
So he has the right to give the title that comes to his mind, that results from his vision, and his vision may be different from mine.
Every image, music, painting, sculpture speaks, and every spectator, every listener, hears it in their own way...
What is the creative process of your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process?
I set up the lighting, sets and props when I work indoors with models, so that I can act and let them act as spontaneously as possible during the session.
For outdoor photos, I adapt to the elements present and to Nature.
Sometimes you have to wait a few hours before everything is aligned to my liking, or sometimes you have to be very reactive because Nature doesn't wait, it evolves constantly and very quickly!
Do you use a particular working technique? If so, can you explain it?
I favor simplicity in my work.
I prefer to work from a very basic and neutral automatic setting, which adapts best to any situation, and then lets me optimize the results in the print run, if necessary.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it breaks...
And when it works, it works well!
Kamen te alosaren jekh titlo? (2025)Photography by Acjl
Are there any innovative aspects to your work? Can you tell us what they are?
I don't know if my work is innovative, but I know that it evolves every day.
Depending on my mood, my desires and my inspiration.
I work when it's the right time.
When I search, I find nothing!
So I set a goal that I like, then I let go, and when it comes, it's a real and powerful calling.
I just have to follow this invitation...
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? If so, why?
I don't have any preconceived ideals about this...
Where do you produce your work? At home, in a shared studio, or in your own studio? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?
I work in the studio, outdoors, indoors, with a camera, lenses, a phone and two computers.
I work alone as often as possible, so that I am completely aligned with my project, well focused and concentrated.
If I need advice or a solution to a technical problem, I know where to find answers.
Does your job require you to travel to meet new collectors, for trade fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
Thanks to the internet, I don't "need" to travel to meet good people.
I have been working for some time with a Beninese association, for which I lead photography workshops via videoconference.
It will never have the same flavor as one-on-one, of course, but it's better than nothing!
As for the Collectors and Art Professionals who read this interview, they can contact me if they wish, I am open to discussion as well as serious proposals, and my passport is valid...
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
I like the idea of a positive evolution, fulfilled by:
Timely meetings,
Daily improvement in my work,
A constant renewal of fantastic ideas,
An interplanetary success,
A wealth leaving Croesus far behind,
...
And world peace would be a nice cherry on the cake! 🙏
Vil du vælge in title? (2006)Photography by Acjl
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
I just did a shoot with a woman who has a lot of trouble accepting her physique as it is.
Her style is grunge-sexy,
She has a powerful, expressive and true gaze.
We took 230 photos, and we kept 65.
She likes all 65 photos.
And out of these 65 photos that I also like, there is 1 in particular that left me speechless!
Mission accomplished for her and me...
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
I have been exhibiting my works and offering them for sale since July 2024, at the Artmajeur gallery.
My artist rating is certified by Jacques-Armand Akoun,
the world leader in art market information since 1985.
If you could create one famous work in the history of art, which would you choose? And why?
But I already created it! lol 😁
It was this famous photo that left me speechless, about which I said a few words in the previous question.
It is not part of the history of Art, but it may be part of the future of Art?!
Finally, if you could invite any famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest they spend the evening?
If I had the choice, I would prefer to invite a living artist, dead artists have more difficulty sitting on a chair and eating semolina without getting it everywhere! lol 🤣
I would invite Penelope Cruz, she has such expressive eyes!
I would offer him a dinner that would last 1000 & 1 nights, on a small wooden table with 2 chairs, barefoot facing the Indian Ocean...
Nicolas Sarazin
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