Valentin Valette
Spring 2025 Cycle – Photography
Between France, Northern Africa, and Gulf countries
valentinvalette.com
Sons of Omani entrepreneurs pose for a portrait in their neighborhood reserved for local investors. Qantab, January, 2023, Sultanate of Oman.
Abandoned labor camp near the large-scale Yiti construction site. Yiti, Sultanate of Oman, January 2023.
On the left side: Portrait of a Pakistani worker on the construction site of a house destined to become a bed and breakfast house. Al Hamra, Sultanate of Oman, January 2023. On the right side: The manager of the demonstration center for the Yiti sustainable city project on the Matrah corniche. Mascat, Matrah, Sultanate of Oman, January 2023.
A sunset portrait of a Bengali worker showering outdoors. Most workers are housed in bungalows and shower in the open air. Birkat el Mouz, January 2023, Sultanate of Oman.
Two Pakistani workers from the capital's municipal garden maintenance team climb a palm tree to prune it. Muscat, January 2023, Sultanate of Oman.
On the left side: Portrait of a company director in front of his GT Mustang sports car after inspecting a building site he is financing. Mahalil, Sultanate of Oman, January 2023. On the right side: An Indian driver from the Sikh community poses on his backhoe while awaiting new instructions from his Omani employer. Al Ansab, January 2023, Sultanate of Oman.
Construction is in progress on a "sustainable city" project in Yiti. The sustainable city of Yiti aims to be the largest near-zero emission community in Oman. Yiti, January 2023, Sultanate of Oman.
The Sustainable City Yiti (TSC Yiti) is a mixed-use1 mega-tourism project2, set to develop as Oman’s first ‘net-zero’ city3. Developed along the coastline 30 km away from central Muscat4, it seeks to improve the quality of life5 of its residents, as well as create opportunities for foreign investment6 i. The project is aligned with the Oman Vision 2040ii and is an integral component of the Sultanate’s National Tourism Strategyiii.
The wife and daughter of an Omani entrepreneur pose for a portrait in their villa in Muscat. Muscat, Al Khuwair district, January 2023, Sultanate of Oman.
A young Omani entrepreneur in his villa located in the mountains of the Djebel AKhdar, which he rents out on Airbnb and other local sites. Jebel Akhdar. City of Djebel Akhdar, Sultanate of Oman, January 2023.
« TOMASON ». Image from the «tomsaon » set. Here, a reproduction of a traditional fort on the side of a road across the desert, Garara. Sultanate of Oman, Janvier 2023. The 'tomason' is a concept in urban geography that aims to be a tool for designating a singular category of objects, spaces, buildings, which intrigue us because they do not seem to belong, of which we know they are a remnant of the past, forgotten. (Gervais-Lambony, Philippe. (2017). Le tomason : un concept pour penser autrement les discontinuités et discontiguités de nos vies citadines ?. Espaces et sociétés. 168-169).
A Bengali bricklayer hired by an Omani family protects himself from the sun by wearing a balaclava while building their house. Jolan Bani Buali, January 2023, Sultanate of Oman.
A Bengali worker waits at the entrance of a construction site, guiding the incoming trucks. To protect himself from the sun, he shelters under layers of clothing. Maradi, Sultanate of Oman, 2025.
A Pakistani worker gazes out at the sea while shielding himself from the sun. Construction of a luxury hotel on a remote stretch of beach. Al Khaluf Beach.
Festival Circulations, Paris 2025 Ashes of the Arabian's Pearl
Artist Statement Biography
Biography Valentin Joseph Valette - French, of Algerian origin. Author-photographer, doctoral student in visual anthropology. Based between Northern Africa, Gulf countries, and France. Driven by both my photographic practice and my studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, I explore photography as a research instrument. My interest in the Arab and Muslim worlds, nurtured by my studies in sociology and political science at the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence), has led me to live between North Africa, the Gulf countries, and France. In 2021, I joined the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) in Tunisia as part of the CNRS research program Urban Territories and Crisis Governance (TURGOCRISE), for which I produced a research film (currently in editing) and conducted a sociological study. Since 2023, I have been carrying out a photographic commission for Médecins du Monde on the theme of migration health among harragas. Since 2021, I have also been interested in the evolving political, economic, and social orientations of the Persian Gulf countries. This long-term exploration first took shape through an extensive photographic project in the Sultanate of Oman. Engaging with geographical concepts as well as migration issues, this project is titled "Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl." I am currently working on the publication of my first photobook with Basaltes Edition. In early 2024, I secured funding for a doctoral project in visual anthropology, titled "The Harkis and Algeria: Links, Experiences, and Circulations." Positioned at the intersection of migration studies, memory, and belonging, this research is conducted within the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology (IDEAS) at Aix-Marseille University. For several years, I have divided my time between commissioned photographic work, long-term personal projects, and academic engagement. Alongside my research and visual arts activities, I curate the African photographic archive of Jean Depara, a Congolese photographer from the 1950s-1970s, whose negatives I rediscovered.
Biography Valentin Joseph Valette - French, of Algerian origin. Author-photographer, doctoral student in visual anthropology. Based between Northern Africa, Gulf countries, and France. Driven by both my photographic practice and my studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, I explore photography as a research instrument. My interest in the Arab and Muslim worlds, nurtured by my studies in sociology and political science at the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence), has led me to live between North Africa, the Gulf countries, and France. In 2021, I joined the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) in Tunisia as part of the CNRS research program Urban Territories and Crisis Governance (TURGOCRISE), for which I produced a research film (currently in editing) and conducted a sociological study. Since 2023, I have been carrying out a photographic commission for Médecins du Monde on the theme of migration health among harragas. Since 2021, I have also been interested in the evolving political, economic, and social orientations of the Persian Gulf countries. This long-term exploration first took shape through an extensive photographic project in the Sultanate of Oman. Engaging with geographical concepts as well as migration issues, this project is titled "Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl." I am currently working on the publication of my first photobook with Basaltes Edition. In early 2024, I secured funding for a doctoral project in visual anthropology, titled "The Harkis and Algeria: Links, Experiences, and Circulations." Positioned at the intersection of migration studies, memory, and belonging, this research is conducted within the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology (IDEAS) at Aix-Marseille University. For several years, I have divided my time between commissioned photographic work, long-term personal projects, and academic engagement. Alongside my research and visual arts activities, I curate the African photographic archive of Jean Depara, a Congolese photographer from the 1950s-1970s, whose negatives I rediscovered.
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