From January 10 to March 8, 2025, a photo exhibition entitled “Interstices : Kate Barry and the landscape. The opportunity to return to the work of the photographer and daughter of Jane Birkin who died in 2013. Known for her sober and intimate style, the daughter of composer John Barry brilliantly documented moments of life with rare sensitivity. Discreet, Kate Barry fought against her own demons, particularly linked to periods of dependence… On the occasion of this exhibition, his son Roman de Kermadec spoke in the columns of the magazine Gala. He returns to his bond with his grandmother, that with his late mother but also his doubts concerning the latter’s death. On his place within such a tribe of artists, the musician explained that it was “difficile” to find it.
“My real passion is music. I started writing songs when I was a teenager. With my friends, we played all night in my cellar. The caretaker went crazy. [Rires.] I’ve been working in my area forever. Today, I would like my work to come out of the shadows”he admitted. Very close to his aunt Lou Doillon, with whom he only has a 5-year difference, Roman de Kermadec confided that she was often there when his mother entrusted him to his grandmother. “She was like a big sister to me”he added. A close-knit family which had to face a terrible tragedy, that of the death of Kate Barry in 2013. Died at only 46 years old after falling from the fourth floor of her apartment, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, her death was a shock. “I couldn’t breathe anymore. I hope that one day I will be able to look at Paris again, without it being painful.”, had even confided Charlotte Gainsbourg in the columns of Telerama. For his part, the photographer’s son admitted to Gala thathe had doubts about this fall. According to him, the latter would not be “accidental”: “We’ll never know. That day, I was filming and I felt really bad, as if I had sensed that something was happening… I went home and I got this famous phone call…”John’s dad sadly remembered.
A duty to remember
On the role of his mother in his life, the musician was full of praise. “She held her own, despite her problems. I think she got clean for me. She got me, she went to detox and then she founded her own center, La Maison de Kate, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in October. “Dogs don’t make cats.”he admitted. Proud that Kate Barry’s work continues to resonate after her death, Roman de Kermadec concluded: “It’s my heritage and I must bring it back to life through these exhibitions. His work really deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. As long as I’m here, I’ll keep him alive as best I can.”.
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