Hello Manu, who are you?
Hello, my real name is Emmanuel but everyone calls me Manu, I’m 31 years old. I come from the Toulouse area but Bordeaux has been my home base for so many years now. After my Baccalaureate, I studied Tourism Development between the Dordogne region and Ireland. 5 years ago, photography came into my life and never left.
What is your background?
Since I was 18, I had been using a small compact Kodak camera. In 2007, I went on an internship in the deep parts of Ireland, in Connemara, and was immediately fascinated by the changing lights and colors of the landscapes. Ireland is a delight for any landscape photographer.
In 2014, I bought my first SLR camera and came to Paris for a week to learn the basics of photography. Since then, I have been able to improve my technique during my travels to New York, Israel and recently in Cambodia. My favorite style is street and travel photography.
3 words to describe your world?
That’s a difficult question. It’s hard to define a world that’s constantly evolving. What probably stands out more from the Khmer Colors Expo is an Authentic, Colorful and Human atmosphere.
Can you tell us about the project around the exhibition?
In July 2018, my girlfriend Marianne went to Cambodia for a year on a humanitarian mission to Siem Reap near the Angkor temples. At the time, I had already intended to travel to Southeast Asia, as I had never been before.
In December 2018, I flew for a couple of weeks to Cambodia. This trip was a cultural but also a visual shock. One of those trips that deeply touches you.
When I came back, I had a taste of unfinished business with the country, and I had to go back. I contacted a photographer living there. Alessandro Vannucci. “Alé” is an Italian who has lived and worked in Cambodia for more than 10 years. I wanted to learn from him and be inspired by his world. In June 2019, I went back to Asia and literally went out of my comfort zone to be immersed in the culture with Alessandro.
When I returned, I had accumulated enough pictures to make a restitution of this trip. “Khmer Colors” is therefore my first exhibition.
What is Anticafé to you?
I found in Anticafé Bordeaux the perfect place to settle down and peacefully edit my photos in a creative and relaxed atmosphere. Over time, it has become my office and a personal workspace. It was actually there that the decision to hold the exhibition was made and then set up step by step. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nicolas and his team for their always warm welcome and their confidence in my work.
