Photographer #396: Stéphane Remael

Stéphane Remael, 1971, France, is a socially engaged documentary photographer and photojournalist who also concentrates on portraiture. He was a co-founder and member of the Oeil Public Agency between 1996 and 2008. His main focus lies with the human condition, placing mankind in his environment, often those on the margins of society. He has traveled the world to cover humanistic stories from Bolivia, Georgia, China, Nepal to Morocco amongst other places. In Japan he took a close look at an ancient phenomenon called 'evaporation'. After the financial bubble burst in the 90's entire families made suicide pacts and other men who lost their jobs decided to disappear and continue living with a new identity. In Georgia he focused on a remote region in the country called Svaneti. In this region one woman in three is abducted with disasterous outcomes for the women. They are considered impure and have little hope for leading a normal life. His work has been published in numerous French and international newspapers and magazines as Newsweek, TIME and The Wall Street Journal. He is a member of the M.Y.O.P agency. The following images come from the series The Disappeared, Kidnapped for Life and Cabanisation: What is left when you have nothing?

Website: www.stephaneremael.com