TOMMY GOGUELY

Tommy Goguely’s photographic journey began as a self-taught endeavor during his engineering studies, initially focusing on the technical aspects of image-making, particularly long exposures and filters. While his early work centered on aesthetics, he soon realized that visual appeal alone was not fulfilling enough. This led him to enroll in evening classes at the Bordeaux School of Fine Arts, where he studied Photography and Art History for three years. These studies introduced him to critical and theoretical approaches that profoundly influenced his creative direction. His work evolved to integrate a conceptual dimension, moving beyond formal beauty to engage with deeper artistic and intellectual inquiries.

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One of his key projects, Palimpsests (2019), explores the transformation of photography by reinterpreting iconic works within a contemporary digital context. The title alludes to the layering of historical and modern photographic techniques, much like a palimpsest—a manuscript where past writings remain visible beneath new inscriptions. His approach does not merely reference historical imagery but actively integrates it into today’s visual and technological landscape, questioning how meaning shifts in an era oversaturated with digital images.

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Tommy Goguely describes his photographic approach as an essay in visual form, using images to explore theoretical questions about photography’s evolution in the digital age. He is rather skeptical of the mainstream discourse that frames digital photography as a radical departure from traditional practices. Rather than seeing it as a rupture, he considers digital technology as a revelation of longstanding theoretical tensions within photography. His perspective aligns with a more critical approach to the medium’s evolution, and he expresses a growing interest in contributing to this discourse through writing. His work examines the impact of digital technologies on image consumption, questioning whether photography has truly transformed or if it simply adapts to new visual paradigms.

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A notable example of this method is his series Drive-By Theaters, inspired by Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Drive-In Theaters. While Sugimoto’s long exposures reduced entire films to glowing voids, Goguely applies a similar technique to contemporary digital advertising billboards in commercial zones. This shift underscores the acceleration of time and the overload of digital content in modern society.

Looking ahead, Goguely is engaged in multiple projects that extend his critical engagement with photography and digital media. He is currently writing an essay on the theoretical implications of photography in the digital era, with a focus on artificial intelligence’s impact on the medium. Additionally, he is developing a new series that examines the environmental consequences of digital technologies through an experimental photographic approach. At the same time, he continues to explore innovative ways of integrating digital tools into traditional photographic processes. His upcoming exhibitions will further establish his role as a critical voice in contemporary photography. Through these projects, he seeks to deepen the discourse on photography’s conceptual and material transformations, positioning his work at the intersection of art, theory, and technological critique.

Website: www.tommygoguely.com
Instagram: @tommygoguely