My encounter with the young photographer Jérôme Barbosa was a rewarding one, the sort of encounter that photography engenders, where love of the medium bridges the generation gap.
He introduced me to his work, and I observed that we were following the same fascinating and demanding path in photography. Also, there is this common choice of black and white, of silver photography, that inevitably links us. His Portuguese origins were a contributing factor, too, when I reflect on my long relationship with his country. Jérôme has already understood that one needs to take one’s time, to choose subjects and themes with the concern of delving into them, of exploring their innermost depths, their intimacy. After making a moving document about his grandparents in Portugal, he prepared – in pretty harsh conditions – an astonishing reportage on the Molokane community in Armenia, and still another about a community of drug addicts in Athens… I admire his determination, his courage… and his work.
Jérôme belongs to the family of humanist photographers, and he knows, in any case, that we all belong to one and the same family.
Georges Dussaud (Rapho agency)