Raphaël Jaimes-Branger: Monumental, An Homage to Louis Daguerre

Since discovering daguerreotypes in a dusty attic in his childhood home, Raphaël Jaimes-Branger has been fascinated with the early photographic method. Their silvery surfaces captivated his imagination, leading to an adulthood search to replicate the daguerreotype’s physical properties without the use of harmful chemicals.

In this exhibition, Jaimes-Branger pays tribute to this process via a technique of his own invention, without the possible fatal consequences of mercury exposure. Jaimes-Branger’s choice of subject matter, art and architecture, reflects his desire to indulge in beauty for beauty’s sake as a reprieve from today’s tumultuous political climate. Jaimes-Branger’s pieces basks in the grace of public art and monuments, works created to embellish urban areas and enhance the quality of daily life for everyday citizens. By bridging photography, an early socially-equalizing art, and public works intended to uplift the common man, Monumental, An Homage to Louis Daguerre celebrates beauty that is accessible to us all.