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Clicking with children

‘Children of the world,’ showcasing the works of French photographer Flore Lamoureux, explores the sunlit world of children, writes ANUPAMA R

Photo: S. Mahinsha

Happiness Flore Lamoureux prefers to focus on the smiling faces of children

Walk down the lazy paths of the Museum public garden, watch the countless families stretched out on the inviting lawns and greet lovely faces from different corners of the world. An exhibition of photographs, ‘Children of the world’ is tr uly a simple, yet refreshing reminder of how appealing children are.

Organised by Alliance Francaise de Trivandrum and the Department of Museums and Zoos, the exhibition showcases the work of the Delhi-based French photographer Flore Lamoureux.

So why children? “Thanks to their curiosity and their capacity to be clever, honest and innocent, children are the ones you can speak to, you can share with, you can get a smile from at any time, all around the world,” explains Lamoureux.

However, the theme of children is not new and has been approached by several artists using innovative media. But what makes this exhibition distinct is its display.

Lamoureux has chosen to use light boxes to display her pictures. “I want to make them alive, more than a still photo in a gallery or a painting,” she elaborates.

So, when the children in Lamoureux’s world smile at you, you return their smile. And laughter knows no boundaries. The children – photographed during Lamoureux’s journeys to several countries like Mongolia, India and China – seem content in their light boxes. The mood that dominates is therefore happiness.

What strikes one, then, is that New Delhi is a city where street children abound and little hands go begging in front of fancy restaurants. But, Lamoureux has chosen not to let this depressing reality creep into her world. “I am happy to be able to show them in a nice way throughout my exhibition, as smiling children more than beggars,” she says.

Perhaps this “happiness” is derived from the moments Lamoureux spent with the children, from the “many things that happen before and after the click”. Her attempt is to respect those she photographs by allowing them to get comfortable with her camera.

The time she spent with some children at the Delhi railway station helped her capture their joyous innocence: “I let them play with my camera for them to see their own world in a different way,” she adds. The young boy with sunglasses and the girl with a blue bonnet in the exhibition are striking examples of a transformed world.

However, Lamoureux has no favourites. Every picture is dear to her. Just as every culture, since her travels that started in 1999.

This student of art and communication at La Sorbonne, who has visited 40 countries to date, has had several exhibitions in Shanghai and Paris.

Throughout her career, “people from all ages and all destinations” have inspired her. Her travels brought her to Kerala seven years ago and she has fond memories of Thiruvananthapuram and Varkala where she “met nice people”.

Perhaps one day, she will return with another exhibition and with one more reassuring message: that all is not lost in an otherwise pessimistic world.

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