American Roadtrip

Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, Lisbon; London, Dublin, Brussels, Luxembourg and Rome; Athens, Paris and Madrid: Contrary to how it might appear, Arno Brignon’s travel itinerary does not chart a zig-zag tour through Europe. Instead, the French photographer took his family on a roadtrip across the USA, with the aim of visiting the namesakes of twelve historic European capitals. The resulting series, Us, will now be presented at the Galerie Le Château d’Eau in Toulouse in the form of 60 colour and black and white prints.

Few countries in the world have inspired as many photo series as the USA – and Brignon is not the first artist to follow in the footsteps of Robert Frank, Jack Kerouac and Wim Wenders, whose American roadtrips have left their indelible mark on photography history. Divided into three parts, Brignon’s journey spanned from 2018 to 2022, encompassing a total of 12 cities. Yet his photographs, which were recorded on expired rolls of film, are more than a contemporary portrait of America: Us is also a testament to one man’s efforts to maintain the bonds within his family, which had repeatedly been tested by his frequent absences.

For this project, the photographer travelled together with his partner, Caroline, and their young daughter Josephine. No easy feat, especially with the added doubts about the legitimacy of the endeavour, and the constant balancing act between family life and professional ambition. In the photographer’s own words, “I have to learn to reconcile the two.”