Biography:
Sebastien Laval is a photographer living in Poitiers France. Introduced to photography as a young man by his grandfather in Paris, he quickly developed a passion for documenting the life around him. In the early 90’s Laval had an opportunity to travel to Vietnam. Traveling throughout the country he quickly developed a deep interest in documenting the lives of the ethnic minorities living in the remote regions of Vietnam.
Realizing how this style of life and these rare groups would soon be extinct, Laval began a serious study and body of work portraying a way of life that was rapidly disappearing.
Laval has presented his work on the ethnic minorities in the prestigious Hue festival in 2008 and in 2010.
His most recent body of work is in color, Hanoi by night, photographs taken in a 12 hour period from 18:00h to 6:00h. Using a digital camera with no artificial light, these works present a very painterly, mysterious atmosphere of the magic of Hanoi at night.
Laval’s work has been chosen by the French government to be shown at the historical L’Orangerie Du Senat in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris France in June 2014 for the festival celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relationship between France and Vietnam.

Sebastien Laval
Born 1973 in France, conceived in Madagascar

Education
Autodidact artist, in 2002 worked in a studio in Paris for commercial photography
and in 2003 established his own studio in Poitiers.
1997-2005 Research on ethnic minorities throughout Vietnam.
2007-Present Hanoi by Night series, Ethnic Minorities


Solo Exhibitions

2014 "54…" - Photo exhibition of Le Vuong and Sebastien Laval,
L’Orangerie du Senat, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France
Poitiers Vietnam, Mediatheque F, Mitterand, Poitiers, France
2013 Photo exhibition on Truong Tien Bridge, Hue Festival, Hue, Vietnam
2013 "54…" - Photo exhibition of Le Vuong and Sebastien Laval, Ho Chi Minh
Museum, HCMC, Vietnam
2012 Hanoi 18h/6h L’Espace French Cultural Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
2011 Communities through Time L’Espace French Cultural Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
2006 Word of the Pa Then, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi, Vietnam

Group Exhibitions

2010 Hue Festival Gardens of the palace of the Queen Mother
2008 Hue Festival

Publications
Film by Bertrand Edel of Faut Pas Rever/Thalassa French TV3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9Pjf0eF4E_U


Public Collections:
French Embassy, Hanoi, Vietnam

Private Collections:
France, USA, Belgium