Maryo Gizelo

A man in his seventies who has called Roubaix home for the past 28 years. 

Former architecture student, sociologist, linguist.... I took and developed my first photo about sixty years ago.  Since then, I've been taking photos as a hobby for my own enjoyment, with some periods of intense activity and others limited to a birthday or two. 

Landscapes and architecture encountered while traveling, people in public spaces on every occasion, and every now and then a personal challenge based on a subject suggested by a chance encounter, an exhibition, or a moment of boredom… all of this turns into a project. Even if the theme has already been explored countless times by the greats. These projects are often unfinished! Yet they still provide an opportunity to take photos with varying degrees of constraint, the leisure to search for “the” photo, to talk about photos, to chat about photography. I’m not looking for originality; in fact, with billions of images taken every day, I don’t believe it’s even possible. I try to find a clear visual language that best expresses my intention. 

I still “do” film photography, but the convenience of modern technology is winning out. I’ve retained a preference for black-and-white from my early days. Originally for economic reasons, then because I felt it appeals more to the viewer’s imagination and curiosity; but above all because I’m convinced that the impact—when the photographer’s intention and the viewer’s conscious or unconscious expectations align—is far stronger than with color.