In Libé's eye
published today at 3:56 p.m.
The “Santa Magic” series by François Prost was produced in 2023.
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François Prost: “The film “Santa Claus is trash”, which I saw in my early childhood, is an important source of inspiration.”
Photographer François Prost has also produced iconic series on nightclubs in Spain and the United States.
“I like the atmosphere of a slightly shaky shopping center, these are places that don't always have a good reputation in today's codes of good taste, but I find in them a certain charm and obvious photogenicity,” Prost testifies.
“I frequented the “Carrefour-Ecully Grand Ouest” shopping center in the suburbs of Lyon quite a bit during my childhood, it was a bit like Ali Baba's cave for us, we went to see the CD releases, the televisions, the magazines,” remembers the photographer.
Talking about his tastes, François Prost explains that he “likes to question the world of artificiality; the Christmas period is therefore quite generous in this regard”.
“Photographing Santa Clauses in series in supermarkets contrasts the magical aspect of the holidays with the standardized aesthetics of mass distribution. It’s a way of questioning the factitiousness and the artifices that are found during this period… says François Prost. We show a little behind the scenes.”
“Santa Clauses in supermarkets are most of the time freelance actors or extras recruited only during the holiday period. They are external to the brand and paid per service. They are often the same ones who come back from one year to the next,” explains the artist when talking about his “Santa Magic” series.
