Portrait © Maggie Steber
After obtaining her master’s degree in art history (Université Lumière Lyon II, University of Pennsylvania), Éléonore Simon moved to New York and began taking her camera on strolls throughout the city. There, she worked as a studio manager and served as a teaching assistant at the International Center of Photography.
At the end of 2016, she moved to Valparaíso, Chile, where she developed different bodies of work, among which Valparaíso, a street photography series exploring the mythical seaport. In 2022 she moved back to France and joined the team of the French photography magazine EPIC.
In the public realm as well as in more intimate spaces, her work plays on the harmony between light, shadow, and form to highlight the poetic and touching nature of ordinary moments.
Éléonore’s work has been exhibited in the United States, Europe and Chile and has received multiple awards. She is a regular guest and judge at international street photography festivals.
Éléonore is a member of the international collective UP Photographers and the editorial board of the French magazine revue EPIC.
Highlights
Exhibition Valparaíso
November 2021
Solo show at the Centro Cultural Las Condes in Santiago, Chile, supported by the French Institute of Chile.
See video introduction on YouTube and articles in the newspapers El Mercurio and Las Últimas Noticias.
Revue Epic, Volume 4
“Parmi les villes qui fascinent, le nom de Valparaíso résonne, et souvent en couleur ! Éléonore Simon en a monté et descendu chaque escalier, s’est faufilée dans chaque ruelle pour réaliser de la « Vallée Paradis » un portrait tout en lignes et en courbes, une plongée dans un port et ses habitants, qui ne sont pas tous humains.”
"Among the cities that fascinate, the name of Valparaíso resonates, and often in color! Éléonore Simon climbed up and down every staircase, snuck into every alley to create a portrait of the "Paradise Valley" all in lines and curves, a dive into a port and its inhabitants, who are not all human."
Street Week in LA Festival, organized by the Los Angeles Center of Photography
Live presentation, The Thrill of Light: From the Streets of Valparaíso to the Confines of Home
Exhibitions and features
Solo exhibition
Valparaíso, Centro Cultural Las Condes | Santiago, Chile | Nov 2021
Group exhibitions
Retina Latinomérica Otras Calles | Hidalgo, Mexico | Jul-Aug 2022
Mirada de Mujer
Biblioteca Pablo Neruda | Santiago, Chile | Nov-Dec 2021
Centro Cultural Agustín Ross | Pichilemu, Chile | Aug 2021
Perrera Arte | Santiago, Chile | Jun-July 2021
Women Street Photographers
59 Rivoli | Paris, France | Aug 2021
Artspace PS109 | New York, NY | Dec 2020
State Historical Museum | Chelyabinsk, Russia | Aug 2020
Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Aug 2019
PhoS Photo Festival | Sofia, Bulgaria | May 2019
Head On Festival Double Trouble: Exposing Women in Street
Brisbane, Australia | Mar 2021
Sydney, Australia | Nov-Dec 2020
Los Diez AI-AP (American Illustration and American Photography)
Photoville | New York, NY | Sept 2019
Angel Orensanz Foundation | New York, NY | Nov 2018
Two Way Street Street Foto San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | June 2019
Let There Be Light (and Shadow) Umbrella Arts Gallery; New York | NY Feb-Mar 2018
Magnum Swap Shop theprintspace; London, United Kingdom | June-July 2017
Scene on the Street Jadite Galleries; New York | NY Feb 2017
Anthologies
Reclaim the Street. Stephen McLaren & Matt Stuart, published by Thames & Hudson, April 2023
Women Street Photographers. Edited by Gulnara Samoilova, published by Prestel, March 2021
Publications
Revue Epic, Volume 4, October 2021
Eyeshot Magazine, The Mirror, December 2020
Eyeshot Magazine, Flora and Fauna, April 2020
Festivals
Basquedok Festival 2022 (speaker and portfolio reviewer)
Street Week by the Los Angeles Center of Photography 2021 (speaker; watch the presentation on YouTube)
Italian Street Photography Festival 2021 (judge)
Street Foto San Francisco 2020 (judge)
Street Photo Milano 2019 (speaker, portfolio reviewer and “Photo Slam” judge)
Miami Street Photography Festival 2018 (speaker and judge)
Street London 2018 (panelist and speaker for Women in Street)
Live presentations and interviews
Women Street Photographers, Interview and exhibition walk-through, November 2021
Retina Latinoamerica, Interview (in Spanish), November 2021
Observadores Urbanos, Interview (in Spanish, on YouTube), April 2021
Street Week in LA by the Los Angeles Center of Photography, Presentation and Q&A (YouTube), April 2021
Conversation with the Unexposed Collective and the Women of UP, Presentation and Q&A (YouTube), March 2021
Street Photography Magazine, Podcast, April 2019
Features & Press
Las Últimas Noticias, “Fotógrafa francesa queda cautivada por los rincones de Valparaíso”, November 21, 2021
El Mercurio, “Fotógrafa francesa captura la emotividad de Valparaíso”, November 10, 2021
Retina Latinoamerica, Valparaíso, September 2021 (in Spanish, and in English)
Three Photo Influences Of Mine, Outerfocus Website, May 2020
BEX Autores, MIRAM - Mirada de Mujer, April 2020
Caption Magazine, Interview and feature of Las Mujeres Detrás del Volante: Micreras de Valparaíso, March 2020
AI-AP, Dispatches from Latin America: Discovering a New Life and Vision in Valparaiso, Chile, October 2019
UP Photographers, Interview, October 2019
Eyeshot Magazine, Valparaíso, June 2019
Street Photography Magazine, Artist of the Month, April 2019
ARTPIL, Valparaíso, Improvisation Becomes Art, March 2019
Underexposed Magazine, Interview, October 2018
Women in Street, In Valparaíso, Chile with Eléonore Simon, July 2018
Podcast Les Sœurs Simon
A podcast about creative endeavors: inspirations, writing, photography, (un)decisive moments and more. Created with my sister, Héloïse Simon (podcast in French, available on Sound Cloud).
Un podcast de deux sœurs artistes, Éléonore la photographe et Héloïse l’écrivaine. Ensemble, on parle projets en cours, instants décisifs et moins décisifs, syndrome de la page blanche, inspirations, conseils et cheminements. Le 3e jeudi du mois.
Contact
To discuss assignments, collaborative projects, or simply to say hello, you can use the contact form below or email me at eleonoresimonphotography(at)gmail(dot)com.
I also offer individual tutoring sessions. Whether you are looking for long-term mentoring or an occasional meeting to work through a creative or technical issue, I will be happy to help move your creative project forward! Please get in touch to inquire about rates.