We are pleased to announce that the pre-order for Claire Cocano’s artist book Rue Désiré Chevalier has now officially started. After participating in the 2022 PHOTOBOOK AS OBJECT workshop, Claire spent over two years developing the book in collaboration with RPS curator Yumi Goto, and it is now finally completed.
This book is based on the story of her grandparents, who emigrated from Yugoslavia to France in the 1960s, and it weaves together past and present, home and exile. For many years, they held on to the hope of returning to their homeland, but that dream never came true. Their apartment on Rue Désiré Chevalier was left frozen in time after their passing. Due to the language barrier, communication with her grandparents was fragmented, but through family albums, archives, and her own photography, Claire was able to reconnect with their journey and understand her ties to a country that no longer exists.
This is a story in which past and present, homeland and adopted country, France and former Yugoslavia, are intricately woven together. Like the embroidery her grandmother used to sew, memories are woven between the homeland that holds the heart and the new life built in a foreign land.
The book is hand-bound by the artist, with a limited edition of only 65 copies, each numbered and signed. This special artist book is deeply connected to the themes of the work. It has been shortlisted for the 2024 Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards in the “First PhotoBook” category and will be available at Paris Photo and Polycopies in November.
We also offer a special bonus, which includes a unique work where Claire has embroidered the book’s title onto a replica of an embroidery pattern left by her grandmother. This special bonus is available as an option for purchase.
