His new exhibition, HAIR PEACE, opening at La Caserne in Paris, explores hair as a symbol of resistance and self-expression. Bringing together celebrities and anonymous faces without distinction, Monceau highlights a simple truth: the need to exist freely belongs to everyone. Inspired by global calls for women’s rights and individual freedom, he transforms an intimate gesture into a powerful visual statement.
AM: In your work, human connection seems to play a central role. How essential is “the other” in your creative process?
Frédéric Monceau: For me, every image begins with an encounter. Photography is never a solitary act, it is a silent conversation between two beings. Behind every face lies a story I do not fully know, a fragility or a strength that I try to understand and translate. My intuition and, above all, the bond that forms, sometimes in a matter of minutes, always leaves its mark on the final image. I often feel that models entrust me with a fragment of themselves, which I pass on almost instinctively. Without the other, there is no image, no truth.
And “the other” is not only the subject in front of the lens. It includes make-up artists, hairstylists, stylists, and all the creatives who take part in the process. They enrich the vision and give it depth. More broadly, I believe the other is what diverts us from our path, collides with us, and ultimately shapes a journey different from the one we would have taken alone.
AM: Your images can be seen as both aesthetic experiences and manifestos. How important is this ambiguity to you?
Frédéric Monceau: I believe art must remain open. I do not want to impose a message, but rather offer material for reflection. Some will see fashion images, others will interpret them as political statements. Both views are valid because they reveal something about the viewer. To me, ambiguity is not a weakness but a form of freedom, the freedom to interpret, project, and create one’s own meaning.
We act as mirrors, and what we judge in a work often reflects our own story. Imposing a single truth or trying to convince at all costs seems pointless to me. Ideas must follow their own path in each person’s mind. That is why I believe in suggestion and invitation rather than doctrine.
AM: HAIR PEACE brings together both well-known figures and anonymous faces. Was this a way to remind us that identity and freedom concern everyone?
Frédéric Monceau: Exactly. Freedom does not belong to an elite, it runs through every body and every story. Photographing a celebrity or someone anonymous holds no hierarchy for me, both embody something deeply universal. In HAIR PEACE, I did not want to underline that boundary but to suggest that identity is a fundamental right, and that each of us, known or unknown, carries a cry for freedom, whether expressed or silent.
Of course, there is a strategic dimension in portraying public figures, as their image can amplify the message and give it a wider resonance. But when I create, I seek the human being behind the mask. What impresses me is not the number of followers, but the way a person reveals themselves, interacts, and treats others.
AM: In this project, beauty becomes resistance. Do you believe aesthetics can be a political weapon?
Frédéric Monceau: Yes, absolutely. Beauty has long been considered decorative or superficial, but it can be subversive. Choosing to exist through a strong and beautiful image in a world that tries to erase or diminish us is an act of resistance. It is a way of saying, “I am here, and I choose how I want to be seen.” In this sense, aesthetics becomes a silent yet powerful weapon.
Human beings have always been drawn to beauty, even if its definition changes through time and cultures. Beauty attracts and opens the door to deeper reflection. Perhaps it is an unconscious strategy rooted in our collective relationship with the visual. But once we choose to use beauty, we must also accept its rules and find our own way to bend them.
AM: The slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” was born in Iran. How did you make this cry resonate universally in your photographs?
Frédéric Monceau: I was present at the European Parliament during the Sakharov Prize ceremony honoring Jina Mahsa Amini and the Iranian women protesters. The courage of these women moved me deeply, especially as a European who is aware of the privilege of living in a society where individual rights are more protected.
This slogan struck me because it condenses the essential: the right to live, to exist, to be free. I did not want to illustrate it literally, but to translate its spirit. By working with hair as a symbol, I sought to show how an intimate gesture such as cutting, unveiling, or freeing can become a universal cry. Photography has this power, it turns a detail into a manifesto. That cry from Iran became a global echo, and I wanted it to reverberate through my images without losing its radical essence.
AM: You are self-taught. How does this instinctive relationship with photography shape your artistic language?
Frédéric Monceau: Being self-taught means refusing to be confined to a framework or a method transmitted by someone else. I discovered photography by observing, absorbing, being a sponge to my environment. That gave me a precious freedom. I never tried to fit into a school or tradition, I simply followed my instinct.
Instinct taught me to trust emotion more than technique. Over time, intuition became my compass. Perhaps that is why my images may appear raw yet sensitive, because they are born from a visceral gesture rather than calculation. I often think deeply before a shoot, then forget everything in the moment and let the instant guide the image.
AM: In HAIR PEACE, hair is a metaphor for identity, freedom, and choice. What does artistic freedom mean to you?
Frédéric Monceau: Freedom is the ability to choose: to choose how we appear, how we see the world, and which rules we follow or break. Art must be that space where everything is possible, where we can reinvent ourselves endlessly. In HAIR PEACE, hair becomes a thread connecting these ideas. It is more than an aesthetic element, it is a metaphor for our choices. I am convinced that we do not pretend to be, we simply do, and through doing, we become.
AM: Is there a moment or encounter from this project that left a lasting impression on you?
Frédéric Monceau: I have many powerful memories. I remember creating with my team in Los Angeles, in the Arts District, without yet knowing what the final form would be. I remember conversations in London about framing, long hours of editing, debates about the concept. And of course, the laughter, the last-minute surprises that, rather than obstructing us, challenged and enriched the final result.
As for the most intimate stories, I prefer to keep them in my secret garden.
AM: You describe HAIR PEACE as a suggestion, a whisper, an invitation. What do you hope the audience takes away?
Frédéric Monceau: I hope they leave with a sensation rather than a message. Perhaps a suspended emotion, an image that continues to resonate. HAIR PEACE is not a slogan, not an imposed truth. It is an invitation, an opening. If visitors leave questioning themselves, their identity, what they want to affirm or protect, then the exhibition has fulfilled its purpose.
I also believe the world would be a gentler place if we chose invitation and listening over ideological rigidity and closure.
Portrait: Frédéric Monceau by Adam Amouri
Photo 1: Julie Tuzet by Frédéric Monceau
Photo 2: Ceval by Frédéric Monceau
Photo 3: Pietro Saibene by Frédéric Monceau