Jean-Bernard Barsamian
Born in 1971, lives and works in Paris region

Passionate about aviation and a former mechanic assistant in the Air Force, Jean-Bernard Barsamian has spent many years working as a photographer, splitting his time between the Archives Départementales des Yvelines’ laboratory and the tarmacs. Drawing from his professional experience and a neutral, object-focused approach, he combines keen observation with an exploration of material, lines, and textures.

Colorblind, he embraces black and white photography as a way to shift the viewer’s perception, drawing them into his own universe. Playing on the fine line between intention and spontaneity, he describes his process as a sequence of decisive moments, choosing the location and the instant, capturing a fleeting moment, then refining his work through careful selection and digital editing. Highly active online yet deeply committed to the physicality of photography, he places great importance on the printing of his works.

His projects include research into the visual world of wine (2024–2025), explorations of his Armenian heritage through multiple photo reports (2014-2015), his daily experiences in public transport (2012), jazz, and numerous aviation series.

Selected solo exhibitions

2023 Official shooting of the A400 M Tactical Display

2020 Aviation en Noir et Blanc, Galerie JAD, Condom, France
2018 « 3 heures par jour, 15 heures par semaine, 60 heures par mois », Archives Départementales des Yvelines, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France

2015 Reflets de Mémoires, Paris
2015 Gyumri et Gyumretsis, Nice, France
2015 Regard sur l’Arménie, Orangerie du Château, Arnouville, France
2015 Terre et Hommes d’Arménie, Rambouillet, France

2014 Gyumri et Gyumretsis, Paris

2012 « 3 heures par jour, 15 heures par semaine, 60 heures par mois », Courcouronnes, France

Selected group exhibitions

2024 Art et histoire, Vision croisées sur l’aviation, Port Aviation, Viry-Châtillon, France

2021 Images volantes, La tour du Moulin, France

2011 Jazz, Juvisy, France

2005 Jazz, Evry, France

Aéro Series

Fascinated by planes, Jean-Bernard Barsamian has developed an intimate relationship with black and white over the years, driven from both an aesthetic choice and his difficulty in discerning colours. This reduced palette, playing only with tonalities, fosters a focus on lines, forms, and textures, which seem to be his true subjects. Marks of experience, wear, reflections or light replace the fragmented object: here, the encounter of a Caravelle and a hangar, the fleeing oval of an airplane’s nose, or a propeller cutting through space. Each of these breaks shifts the subject and liberates the subjective part of the viewer’s gaze.

[excerpts from Transmapping catalogue]

Jean-Bernard Barsamian

Untitled [Sea Fury]

2018

photograph, photographic pigment ink jet on Photo Rag Baryta Hahnemühle 315g

34 x 49,2 cm

Jean-Bernard Barsamian

Untitled [Caravelle]

2018

photograph, photographic pigment ink jet on Photo Rag Baryta Hahnemühle 315g

34 x 49,7 cm

Jean-Bernard Barsamian

Untitled [A 380]

2024

photograph, photographic pigment ink jet on Photo Rag Baryta Hahnemühle 315g

49 x 34 cm

Jean-Bernard Barsamian

Untitled [Douglas DC-3]

2024

photograph, photographic pigment ink jet on Photo Rag Baryta Hahnemühle 315g

49 x 34 cm

Jean-Bernard Barsamian

Untitled [Bronco]

2022

photograph, photographic pigment ink jet on Photo Rag Baryta Hahnemühle 315g

34 x 49,2 cm

Jean-Bernard Barsamian

Untitled [Cuve]

2024

photograph, photographic pigment ink jet on Photo Rag Baryta Hahnemühle 315g

49 x 34 cm

Jean-Bernard Barsamian

Untitled [Fût]

2024

photograph, photographic pigment ink jet on Photo Rag Baryta Hahnemühle 315g

34 x 49 cm