Place de la République

For five years, Thomas Boivin photographed the young Parisians who passed through Place de la République, a busy crossroads in the heart of Paris where people from all walks of life gather.

Place de la République has long been a meeting point for the city’s demands and hopes. Since the nineteenth century it has been a stage for protests, strikes, vigils and celebrations — a space where Paris shows itself to itself. Today it remains a symbolic square for assembly and daily life, and a place where young people come to spend time, talk, wait and watch.

Boivin’s photographs form a quiet record of a generation growing up in a city that is always shifting. His camera picks out the small details — fashion, posture, gesture — that signal how young Parisians shape who they are and how they want to be seen. Together the portraits reflect how youth finds its place in the centre of the city: claiming space, crossing paths, marking out new ideas of identity, gender and belonging in the open air of the square.

Published - Mid October 

Pages - 84

Details - Swiss Bound / Fibre board Cover / Tip on