José NICOLAS - Normandy: Etretat 022, 2016 - Photography

José Nicolas : José Nicolas traveled to Haiti in 2014 and to Togo and Ghana in 2017 to illustrate the work done by Entrepreneurs du Monde on site. Seduced by the simplicity of the means deployed and the effectiveness of the actions, he was struck by the cleanliness and dignity of these women beneficiaries who live in slums. This contrast made them even more beautiful. He was also challenged by the motivation of these expatriates who come to put their skills at the service of the most deprived, even though they could lead a much easier life in their country of origin, and this self-sacrifice in wanting to train their colleagues. Haitians, Togolese, Ghanaians, Filipinos or Cambodians so that one day they can leave and let the activities continue with complete confidence. The NGO Entrepreneurs du Monde works with populations in developing countries. It allows thousands of women and men in extremely precarious situations to improve their living conditions: it supports them in their own economic initiatives and facilitates their access to products with a strong health, economic and ecological impact. It helps them put themselves in a position of success and thus achieve economic and social progress. Every year, Entrepreneurs du Monde reaches tens of thousands of families through programs created on site. These programs transform over time into autonomous and financially viable local law entities, thus ensuring the sustainability of the services offered. The public reached by Entrepreneurs du Monde is a public in a very precarious situation but who have the desire to undertake business to improve their daily lives. The beneficiaries of social microfinance programs are families who do not have access to any other social microcredit institution, due to being unable to provide guarantees. However, the reimbursement rates on Entrepreneurs du Monde programs are often among the best in the sector whatever the country, with families keen to honor their contract in order not to lose this unique opportunity to be supported by a partner who trusts them. José NICOLAS Born in Casablanca in 1956, he traveled across Africa in his youth following the regular assignments of his military father. Back in France, his parents entrusted him to the boarding school of the National Military Prytanée. The path is traced. At the end of schooling, integration into the professional military corps, entry into paratrooper units. Here he is again on the African continent. Lebanon, Chad, Central African Republic, Djibouti... The operations follow one another. The “click” of photography took place in the field through contact with image reporters. Yan Morvan who works for the Sipa agency and Jacques Pavlovsky for Sygma. A gift opens up “another world” to him: a work by Gilles Caron. José Nicolas buys his first “box”, a Nikkormat and begins amateur reporting… 1982, West Beirut is besieged. While on a mission, he met Bernard Kouchner who had just founded the association “Médecins du Monde”. During a leave, the young future photographer offers his ambulance services. A friendship and the beginnings of a future collaboration are formed. In the heart of a bombed city, the future photojournalist bears witness to the actions of the “French Doctors” rescuing and evacuating the victims of the fighting. Back in the Lebanese capital, he is hit by a sniper's shot. Repatriation to France and convalescence. Once back on his feet, he definitively exchanges the “eye” of the rifle for that of the camera for a return to civilian life. 29 years old and a feeling of indescribable newfound freedom. An encounter guides him towards professional photography. Gökşin Sipahioğlu, founder and director of the Sipa Press agency, who immediately sent him to the heart of international conflicts. At the same time, he continues to support the humanitarian trips of the “French Doctors”. Reports from countries in conflict are multiplying: Lebanon, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Suriname, China Sea, Madagascar, the revolution in Romania, Chad, the Iran-Iraq war, Liberia, Ivory Coast, the Gulf War, Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone… Wounded again while covering Operation Turquoise in Rwanda in 1994, José Nicolas left the Sipa agency and set up as a “freelancer” for the press editorial staff. Topics on Jerusalem, Egypt, Kosovo, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Zanzibar, Guyana… During “breaks” in France, the editorial staff sent him for portraits: Sister Emmanuelle, Michel Portal, François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac, Lionel Jospin, François Hollande, Jean-François Deniau... Until 2014, he continued to travel to feed the pages of the written press, the front pages and a few “scoops”. The time has just come to lift our feet from the mined paths. However, the trips continue at a more serene pace with reports for NGOs: Haiti, Togo, Ghana... Since the opening of the Atelier/Galerie Taylor in Paris, he has extended another avenue of the medium. Share, transmit, support and (re)valorize the work of photographers who are dear to him, funds and archives of photographers and photojournalists from the 20th century and more contemporary authors.