be-poles is a French publisher who created the collection "Portraits de Villes" (or "City Portraits"), a series of booklets of personal portraits of cities around the world, some famous capital cities, others less visited.
Each booklet from "Portraits de Villes" is made by a famous or emerging photographer, creating together a collection of beautiful small photobooks with an appeal to the general audience. Some photographers are famous, some are younger artists known for their magazine work, for their work in fashion or lifestyle, and on the social media.
A few examples: Sonia Sieff for "Oran", Robbie Lawrence for "Freetown", Marco Barbon for "Asmara", Harry Gruyaert for "Moscou", Philippe Chancel for "Dubaï", Lina Scheynius for "Sarajevo", Massimo Vitali for "Rio de Janeiro".
"Portraits de Villes" is a collection of books, where an artist is given carte blanche to illustrate a city of his / her choice. Each book is a unique journey, guided by the singular gaze of an artist. Robbie Lawrence chose Freetown, and this project shot in 2017 documents the challenges arising from poor maternal health in Sierra Leone, specifically...