Pierre Terrrasson and his rock instants

Pierre Terrasson exhibits his photographs of the French rock scene of the 1980s, which provide a record of his collaboration and of his brief encounters with rock icons and French stars.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Pierre Terrasson roamed concert halls and backstage areas with his camera. During those two decades of hedonism in music, he was one of the photographers who defined a musical generation. On entering the gallery, one of the first images you see is a large colour photograph of a bare-chested young man, Christ-like with long hair and beard, his arms outstretched on a microphone to simulate a crucifix. The caption reveals that this is Sylvain Tocque, “le Christ Electrik”; the pic dates from 2014, evidence that Terrasson is still at work. Right beside it are two panels with images in the style of photo-booth pictures, depicting Gainsbarre (Gainsbourg). The exhibition is named for him, on the 25^th anniversary of his passing. In the first series, “l’homme à tête de chou” appears in a halo of cigarette smoke. In the second, from the You’re Under Arrest era, he is handcuffed and appears unsure of what to do. He seems to want to escape from his shackles and troublesome alter ego, Gainsbarre.

A photographer who emerged from the fanzine press, Pierre Terrasson does things by instinct. He rarely listened to the music of those he was photographing, preferring to concentrate on the human aspect. He took many photos backstage, some during concerts. He usually had to make do with fifteen or twenty minutes with a musician. We see a still-young Arno leaning his head against a mirror, Robert Smith with a sitar, and the Clash, with Joe Strummer looking like a masked bandit. It always seemed that Mick Jagger, despite his big mouth, preferred to speak with his hands, and here we have confirmation of that. We also have the young French contingent: Daho, Bashung, Aubert, Daniel Darc, and Vanessa Paradis. Terrasson was the official photographer of the last-named for the first three years of her career. The life of a photographer also includes photocalls, which can be a good thing for an artist with the right instincts, as illustrated by an outstanding photo of Lou Reed taken in the Chinese setting of the Costes cafe. Reed holds his hand over his left eye in a typical gesture of exasperation. What more could you ask for?

PIERRE TERRASSON: GAINSBARRE ETC. •••
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