Short Haka School & Hereros

Charles Fréger spent his past 10 year shooting portrait series about communities all around the world. He (literally) collects groups, which connect through uniforms, cultural background and habits. Pupils of a Sumo school, Finnish majorettes, soldiers, foreign legionnaires, the Busho of Mohács (Hungarian folk tradition), you name it.

His strictly typological approach raises the individual from the group, and depicts him/her deprived of their humanty at once. Charles’ gigantic mission and his artistic process gives proof of extraordinary humility. Being aware of its impossibility, Charles puts enormous effort and sacrifice in embracing all communities of the world.

Charles Fréger will be showing two portfolios in Lumen.

One of them, Short Haka School, was shot in 2009 in New Zealand. In this series students of Hato Paoro School of Manawatu pose according to Maori folk-dance tradition, wearing the English school uniform and the Maori tattoos at once.

The second portfolio Charles will be showing, is a series on the Namibian Hereros, shot in 2007, dressed in old German military uniforms.