Fashion Eye Armenia

The voyage begins in Turkey because this sacred mountain is a symbol for Armenia, the first Christian land at the crossroads of conflicting empires and one that has been manhandled by history. Patrick Bienert crossed the country from north to south – turning his back to the all-powerful neighboring nations Georgia and Azerbaijan – to follow Lake Sevan, a veritable inland sea, to reach Yerevan. On the way, he explores this minuscule nation surpassed by its diaspora: one that is vulnerable yet still standing, like the columns of the unfinished Spitak Bridge. Throughout his explorations, he encounters serious faces of various ages muddled by the clashes of the past and the uncertainty of the future. Born in Munich in 1980, where he went on to study at the Staatliche Fachakademie Für Fotodesign, the photographer Patrick Bienert conducts long-term projects in the same documentary vein as Michael Schmidt and August Sander. His portraits and landscapes untangle the knots between nature and culture, history and identity. He takes a particular interest in the youth of Eastern Europe, with its dreams and revolutions. Three books demonstrate that keenness: his chronicles of the club culture in Kiev (Wake Up Nights, 2017), the pro-European movement in Georgia (East End of Europe, 2020), and the Ukrainian spring before the Russian invasion (Happy Springs, 2023). A regular contributor to the magazines Double, Luncheon, Paper Journal and Zeit, Patrick Bienert has exhibited most notably at the Webber Gallery of London, the Tbilisi Photo Festival, and at the 0fr. bookshop in Paris. Inspired by the House's travel heritage, the Louis Vuitton Fashion Eye collection evokes cities, regions or countries through the eyes of fashion photographers, from emerging talents to industry legends. Each title in the series features an extensive selection of large-format photographs, together with biographical information and an interview with the photographer or a critical essay. After the Louis Vuitton City Guides and Travel Books, this third collection presents travel photography with a fashion perspective, as the chosen photographers all infuse their images of great cities, faraway places or dream destinations with their unique vision.