Family Portraits by Julien Pitinome

Since its founding in 2018, the Institut pour la photographie has been working with artists as part of its program to support research and artistic creation. 

By creating spaces for exchange and experimentation, it supports photographers in developing their projects and promoting their work. It is within this framework that Julien Pitinome has been working since 2023 on a long-term project exploring the tradition of the family portrait—a tradition that is gradually disappearing in the age of digitalization—which is now on display at La Condition Publique in Roubaix .

Drawing on his experience in the social sector, he photographs families in a studio set up in a public space to create contemporary portraits of the residents of the Hauts-de-France region in all their diversity.

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This project, which consists of several components, is rooted in the region: 

↘︎ At La Pouponnière, in Lille, his work was first presented as part of a group exhibition The Harvest . Following a call for participation directed at residents of the Wazemmes and Moulins neighborhoods, he created a series of portraits that explore family identities and collective memory. This initial exhibition was on view from April 3 to June 14, 2025.

↘︎ In the Ternois, the second phase of the project was presented by TernoisCom in partnership with the Institute. Conducted in the summer and fall of 2024, it was part of a traveling artist-in-residence program and culminated in an exhibition from May 22 to September 21, 2025. Several families and communities agreed to pose for Julien Pitinome’s camera, following the same protocol, with objects of their choice. The photographs, taken in Auxi-le-Château, Fortel-en-Artois, Heuchin, Nœux-Lès-Auxi, and Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, were exhibited outdoors in each of these towns.

↘︎ In Roubaix, Julien Pitinome implemented his photography protocol in the heart of the Pile neighborhood and set out to meet its residents. This new phase of the project has led to an exhibition, on view from February 18 to July 18, 2026, at La Condition Publique, where Labo 148—of which he is the coordinator—is based.