Frédéric Bourret: “Observing urban spaces was becoming essential to my life.”

Throughout his professional career, he learned far more than any school could have taught him. He worked in different sectors, moved to various cities, and gradually realized that observing urban spaces was becoming essential to his life.
Photography came later, almost naturally. What began as a personal way of documenting the places where he lived, gradually transformed into a full-time commitment. Over the years, he has developed series that evolve and reinvent themselves, and his work has begun to be exhibited regularly in France and abroad.
His professional life has been built progressively, without a predefined plan, as a continuous exploration of cities, their rhythms, silences, and the traces that people leave behind.

Photography wasn’t a childhood dream for Frédéric; it came much later, almost by chance. For a long time, he simply observed the cities where he lived, the way people moved around. At a certain point, he felt the need to keep a record of these impressions, and the camera became the most natural way to do it.
His first series in New York was made almost entirely with a disposable camera. “I didn’t think of it as a project at the time; it was just a way to capture what I was experiencing. Only later I realized that these images carried something personal and consistent: One particular encounter played a decisive role in my artistic path. When I showed that first New York series, someone reacted with an intensity I didn’t expect, almost like an emotional recognition,” says the photographer.

That moment made him understand that his work could have repercussions beyond his own experience, encouraged him to take photography seriously, to trust in that direction, and shaped the course his career subsequently took.

He exhibited in major galleries

“Exhibiting has always been a significant experience for me,” explains Frédéric, not so much for the venue, but for the encounters it provides. What matters most is seeing how people react to his photographs, the emotions they project, the memories they reconnect with, the silences that invade. That is what motivates him.
“In the end, what stays with me are the moments when someone stands before a photograph and feels something personal, something I could never have predicted. This connection, fragile, subjective, sometimes very intimate, is the true reward of exhibiting,” he emphasizes.

His favourite photographer is Lee Friedlander, an American. What fascinates him is the way Friedlander plays with perception, how he constructs images that seem simple at first glance, but slowly capture the viewer’s gaze. His compositions are full of layers, reflections, and visual tensions that make us look again.
He felt close to this approach even before he knew his work. When he discovered one of his books, he bought it immediately because it resonated strongly with what Frédéric was already trying to do. It was like finding a visual language he had been instinctively yearning for.
Frédéric is very attracted to many art forms besides photography, but what moves him most is the act of creation itself. “I am sensitive to artists who significantly push boundaries, who explore new territories or question what a work of art can be. Sometimes I am more touched by the intention, the process, or the conceptual leap than by the visual result,” he observes.

Whether it’s painting, sculpture, performance, or even architecture, what interests him most is the moment when an artist dares to change something, to forge a new path. This creative impulse, this search for a different way of seeing or expressing, resonates with him more deeply than any specific medium.

Connection between Portuguese and French artists: do they “speak” the same language?

For the photographer, there is a strong connection between Portuguese and French artists, even if they don’t always “speak” the same artistic language. What they share is a curiosity about each other, a desire to explore, and a genuine openness to dialogue. Portuguese artists, in particular, impress him with their talent, their generosity in the creative process, and their ability to blend tradition with experimentation.
This is exactly what inspired him to create Urban Metamorphosis (metamorfoseurbana.com), an artistic dialogue between Portugal and Paris. The project is based on the idea that cities, like artists, have their own voices and that bringing them together creates new perspectives.
According to Frédéric, working with Portuguese artists has been incredibly enriching. They are open, inventive, and deeply committed to expanding artistic boundaries in meaningful ways.
“For me, the connection between the two cultures is not just about speaking the same language, but about recognizing each other’s sensibilities and letting them resonate. That’s where the real conversation begins…”
The Urban Metamorphosis exhibition will be held from June 15th to 21st, and the opening will take place on June 18th, 2026.

A message for those who make art their life? What is the biggest challenge you face?

For those who make art their life, I would simply say: stay close to what makes you feel alive.
Creating is not always easy, and the most challenging part is often continuing when doubts, fatigue, or uncertainties arise. But these moments are part of the process. They test your sincerity and your ability to stay connected to what motivates you.
I often feel that the true reward of making art is not the final image, but the state you enter during the creative process.
It’s a space where everything becomes clearer, more intense, more meaningful. As I like to say: “When I create, I don’t escape life, I feel it more clearly. That feeling is what keeps me moving. If art is your path, trust that feeling. It’s the most reliable guide you have,” advises Frédéric Bourret.

This latest project, which takes place in Portugal, has broadened his horizons about the country. According to Frédéric, what he likes most about Portugal are the people. “There’s a human warmth, a sincerity and a natural kindness that you feel immediately. Conversations start easily, generosity arises effortlessly, and there’s a way of welcoming others that seems both simple and profound.”
“The humor is more discreet and subtle than in France, creating a genuine sense of closeness and complicity. I’m also very moved by the relationship people have with their cities, their traditions and landscapes. There’s a silent strength in the way Portugal balances modernity with memory, movement with calm. The light, the rhythm of life, the feeling of space-all of this resonates with me. But if I had to choose one thing, it would be the people. Their openness, kindness, and ability to create genuine connections. That’s probably what made me want to build artistic bridges between Portugal and Paris,” concludes Frédéric Bourret.