LA FÊTE 2010 GRAND OPENING EVENT
PORTRAITS OF ASIA
An open-air photographic exhibition by French photographer Eric Lafforgue
June 3, 2010 at 19.00 hrs (7 pm)
In front of ZEN Department Store

All visitors are invited to the opening of “La Fête” on Thursday, June 3, at 7 pm. French photographer Eric Lafforgue will be present at the event.

Since 2008, La Fête and ZEN Department Store have been collaborating to bring you prestigious open air photo exhibitions that are unique, free and can be enjoyed every day of the week. The "Earth from Above" by Yann Arthus Bertrand and "Planet Ocean" by Laurent Ballesta exhibitions were a huge success drawing more than 700000 visitors. This year, the exhibition “Portraits of Asia” opens the festival.

Portraits of Asia follows in the wake of the two previous exhibitions. After displaying aerial and underwater portraits of our planet, what could be more natural than to show its most faithful tenant: Man... and particularly the populations of Asia and Oceania.

Asia is the biggest continent in the world and the most populated as well. Through these Portraits of Asia, discover or rediscover some of our heritage. Over and above the sheer beauty of the pictures, Eric Lafforgue illustrates the wealth of the cultural diversity of the human race as well as its frailty. Whether for political, religious, economic or climatic reasons, some customs, tribes or populations, or even cities are bound to migrate and in some cases cease to exist. Becoming aware of the existence of others is the beginning of protection. This exhibition is in fact about human diversity. From ancestral traditions to the most modern rituals, from the Papuas of New Guinea to Thai boxers, Portraits of Asia showcases the beauty of humanity’s cultural diversity, our similarities and our differences, and the sheer richness of humankind.

From a very young age, Eric Lafforgue was lured by the spell of faraway lands. At the age of 10, he spent some time in Africa and followed unknowingly in the footsteps of Monfreid and Joseph Kessel, in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Yemen. After having spent 15 years in publishing and in the media, he tried his hand at photography in 2006. Completely self-taught, he went back to the countries he had explored during his childhood, to Arabia and the Horn of Africa. Then he realized a childhood dream – visiting Papua New Guinea. Prompted by his desire to share, he put his pictures on the Flickr.com site . It was a huge success. 2 million photos were seen in a few months. Shortly afterward, the first offers poured in from The Economist and Geo Germany. His first book on the Papuans was published by Kubik at the end of 2007 and his photos were featured in Eyedea* in early 2008. His photos of Papua were displayed during the VISA festival of photojournalism in Perpignan in 2008. Since then, Eric Lafforgue has been continuing his world tour, alternating offbeat destinations like North Korea, Vanuatu, Eritrea, with better known countries like India, China, and Indonesia . His photos have been published in international magazines and newspapers such as the Times, Stampa, Geo, National Geographic, CNN Traveller, Lonely Planet, India Today etc.

*Eyedea is one of the richest sources of images in Europe. It brings together internationally acclaimed photography agencies like Gamma, Explorer, Rapho, Hoa-Qui, Keystone, Jacana, Top and offers a single access to collections of exceptional quality by internationally acclaimed talented photographers. Eyedea offers more than 30 million photos, of which 3 million can be directly accessed from the website. www.eyedeaphoto.com