Through the poetic work and a selection of Victor Segalen’s photographic corpus, this essay offers an exploration of the connections between this little-known Breton author and contemporary artists. A writer and traveler, Segalen was a distinguished explorer of China, whose writings revitalized literary genres while inspiring new visual approaches. His influence, both subtle and timeless, resonates in the work of photographers such as Thierry Girard and Bertrand Meunier, as well as in the evocative images of Jacques Borgetto and the poetic visual explorations of Vasantha Yogananthan.
Segalen, with his modern perspective and immersive writing, opens unexpected dialogues with contemporary photography, where the art of travel becomes a quest for otherness, both geographical and imaginary. This parallel between text and image invites a journey through time and space, revealing the richness of an encounter between a deep desire for exploration and the unknown landscapes that embody it.
This essay is also an invitation to revisit the art of photography as a space of mystery and dialogue, where memory and invention, reality and imagination intertwine, creating suspended moments that transcend mere representation to reach a universal poetic truth.
Caroline Stein
Auteur

Caroline Stein holds a degree in Modern Literature from the University of Western Brittany and a postgraduate diploma (DESS) in Culture & Communication with a focus on publishing from the University of Paris Villetaneuse.
She began her professional career in 2003 at Somogy Editions as an art book editor, before joining the photographers’ collective Tendance Floue in 2007. There, she was in charge of cultural projects and partnerships, developing their exhibition programs, touring shows, and artist residency projects. She has led numerous cultural initiatives and created innovative partnerships both in France and internationally, collaborating with institutions, festivals, local authorities, and art centers.
In 2012, she joined Central Dupon Images, a professional photography lab, to strengthen cultural collaborations with a wide range of institutional partners. She combined commercial responsibilities with advisory roles for photographers and curators.
In 2017, Caroline Stein joined Banque Neuflize OBC as Head of Sponsorship and Curator of the Corporate Art Collection. Since then, she has led numerous projects focused on promoting the arts, with a strong commitment to supporting creators and a sincere dedication to research and the transmission of knowledge.
Michel Poivert
Auteur, Critique d'art

De chimères en licornes
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Michel Poivert
1+2 FABULÆ
Céline Clanet, Gaëlle Delort, Alžběta Wolfová
Michel Poivert
Rencontre Anaïs Boudot
Anaïs Boudot
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Re-connexions
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Michel Poivert, Fabien Ribery
Odyssées
Aglaé Bory
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Carpe Diem
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Michel Poivert, Florence Calame-Levert
Dérive des baigneuses
Sandra Rocha
Michel Poivert
Guillaume Herbaut
Guillaume Herbaut
Michel Poivert, Sophie Bernard
Les Cahiers de la Fondation Gilles Caron
Gilles Caron
Michel Poivert
1418. échos, versos et graphies de batailles
Catherine Poncin
Michel Poivert, Guillaume Nahon
Les enfantillages pittoresques
Laurent Millet
Michel Poivert, Arthur Kopel, Christine Besson
No Exaggeration
Vincent Debanne
Michel Poivert
Man’s Land
Marie-Noëlle Boutin
Michel Poivert, Pascal Le Brun-Cordier, Aude Cordonnier
Hermine Bourgadier
Hermine Bourgadier
Michel Poivert
La région humaine – Des corps dans la ville
Collectif, Michel Poivert
Gilles Verneret
Un mince vernis de réalité
Collectif
Michel Poivert, Céline Clanet, François Deladerrière, Géraldine Lay, Geoffroy Mathieu