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For photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the idea of living together is at the heart of his latest portrait project, Vivre Ensemble, now on display in Lyon.
The exhibition brings together hundreds of portraits exploring the people and stories that make up contemporary France. Arthus-Bertrand began the project with demographer Hervé Le Bras, aiming to document different professions, social classes and family structures in a country he says is changing rapidly.
The photographer says he has photographed around 40,000 people as part of the project, including nearly 1,500 people in Lyon, where a studio photographed visitors over three days.
Known for his aerial photography and his Earth from Above project, Arthus-Bertrand says he has increasingly turned his camera towards people.
“I prefer today to photograph faces rather than landscapes,” he told Euronews, describing the empathy and connection created through portrait photography.
For him, the project is also about including everyone. People can come alone or with their families, regardless of their profession or background.
Arthus-Bertrand says he is particularly moved when visitors tell him that the exhibition “does them good” and that they leave feeling happier. At its heart, he says, the exhibition is about “love” — his love for the people around him.
Looking at the Earth from above, he says, there are no borders, only one planet that we all share. In an increasingly difficult and complicated world, he believes cooperation, sharing and passing things on are essential.
“The more we give, the more we receive,” he says. And for Arthus-Bertrand, the true beauty of the world lies in people who share, give and pass things on: “This beauty is called love.”