Empreinte Solitaire. ’’Il y a dans les oeuvres de Margaux Helleu une puissance innée qui révèle la solitude de la condition humaine, l’étrangeté des êtres, un profond sentiment d'abandon et l’exaltation d une résignation mais aussi la capture d’ instants urbains qui tous donnent une force émotionnelle aux images de cette jeune photographe au regard déjà si aguerri’. Les lieux, les êtres, les instants fragmentés, les cicatrices existentielles sont au coeur de son travail monochromatique et tous ses clichés créent sans détour une interpellation visuelle et une interrogation au delà de la force des images, témoignant d une intensité, d’une sensibilité et d’une pudeur toute en nuances face à l’emprise qu’elle nous fait ressentir. Un travail sublimant l’émotion’’. Nathalie Paris. Art Curator
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Born in France in 1996, to a Dutch mother and a French father, I grew up between Hong Kong, London and Paris. Being challenged by diverse perspectives from a very early age onwards, sparked a curiosity quickly.
Photographing street scenes, environmental issues and the human dynamics being created around me made my eyes dance differently. Music was a big part of me but figuring that the rockstar scenario was not really my call, photographing their live shows gave me the pleasure of being in the space, hearing them, feeling the energy and meeting a few.
This was my first taste of what photography could do to me, combining two things I loved.
In 2014, Savannah College of Arts and Design located in Hong Kong, gave me the opportunity to study and live where I had vague scenes of my childhood memories. But after spending two years at SCAD, the streets were showing and teaching me much more so I said goodbye to SCAD, growing my desire to learn differently.
The subways became my photographic playground and the street collectors, my friends. Trust and relationships were made. I loved spending my nights collecting with them. Brake time consisted of playing mahjong with eighty year old ladies on the streets, in the back of a shop, on rooftops or in rooms full of men surrounded by their home cages. It showed me a part of Hong Kong which was not much talked about, at least I did not know much, it had the possibility to teach me a lot.
Presenting my first solo exhibition in Hong Kong in November 2015, through which I sold 25 photographs, gave me what I needed to continue a year freelancing “on the streets”. During this time, I had also been asked to work with Frog King, a Chinese artist, where the photographs were exposed at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong.
From January 2016 onwards I went the road with my camera; From Argentina to Uruguay’s road trips, Sailing races in the South of France and Italy, Ultra- marathons in Mongolia and Nepal, leading me to commissioned works for hotels in Laos, Phuket and Bali.
In May 2016, I came back to HK to prepare my next exhibition " On the Road Again", a selection of 31 photographs, taken in 12 different places I had travelled to in the past year.
One of the pictures was catalogued at the ‘First Opening’, Christie’s Auction in Hong Kong, sold for three time its estimated price.
September 2017, direction New York City to attend the International Center of Photography, in the documentary and photo-journalism program. Met a couple of recyclers on the street and volunteered at Sure We Can, a redemption center in Brooklyn which became my main project.
The entire process reminded me of the days in Hong Kong, feeling like a piece of home and a calling to continue these encounters.
I met José on the streets of Manhattan, sixty five years old from Puerto Rico and with perfect english. Spent my time between collecting with him while juggling ICP, their darkroom and photographing at Smalls, a live Jazz bar in Manhattan.
«Is the Trash Singing » had been selected as a project for Women in Photography in 2021. You can read more about this project and see some photographs on the page “Is the trash singing”.
In the meantime I had also had the chance to meet Larry Fink, went to his and his wife, Martha’s farm for thanksgiving, who became in a way a mentor and my American grand parents.
Back in Paris for the break, I got commissioned by Les Echos, Séries Limités, a French magazine, to photograph seven powerful women in France and Milan and worked on a film set as assistant backstage photographer for a Netflix series called Family Business.
In 2020 I enrolled at UCLA Extension until Covid hit, March 2020. I flew back to Hong Kong where about a week later I got commissioned to make a short film for a designer deconstructing Hermes bags, called Jay Ahr.
I also got commissioned to make a book about a client’s home and different freelance projects. This started a long serie of an Ode to the Home.
In October 2020, I curated my exhibition “Ode to the Odd” inviting different artists and musicians to share the space, in Hong Kong which lasted a month.
Since I got back to France in June 2021, I sailed a lot, doing some regattas and photographing the Maxi Week in Saint Tropez, which a portfolio features in Les Echos. In Italy, meeting Giovanni Soldini, who accepted me to make a portrait of him, leading me to sail and photograph on the Maserati Multi 70 from Malta to La Spezia, Italy.
Nowadays, I have been working on private individuals house projects, continuing street photography, portraits of artist, photographing some catwalks and boxing matches, and much more.
In February 2025, I went back to work with Jay Ahr for a month on his new project, reconstructing Rolls Royces.
In July 2025, I have presented the exhibition ‘Ode to the Odd’ in Arles for a week where more than a thousand people visited and sold more than 15 photographs. I will be back there again next year!
I am currently based in Paris.. if you are interested to hire me you can contact me at helleumargaux@gmail.com
Best Regards,
Margaux Helleu
