Between the hypermasculinity of these bodies in transition and the vulnerability that can emerge through certain gestures, I sought to offer a more sensitive perspective, in contrast to the official imagery.
— Julie Joubert
Trained at the École des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, photographer Julie Joubert delves into the genre of portraiture. Working between fine-art and documentary photography, her practice engages with questions of identity, youth, and representations of masculinity. Her approach is characterised by long-term projects that foreground the authenticity and singularity of her subjects. Through a painterly aesthetic, the bodies and faces she captures reveal both the strength of the individual and their vulnerability in relation to the world around them. The documentary dimension of her work deliberately eschews anecdote in order to distil what is essential: the fragility of human presence.
By documenting Ahmed’s journey over several years, the series MIDO (2019–2021) explores the construction of identity, marginality, and confinement. The diversity of photographic approaches reflects the transformations of his trajectory, accompanying a journey marked by instability and the progressive loss of freedom.
In 2026, the gallery Les filles du calvaire presents Patria Nostra (2023–2026), a photographic project developed over three years within the French Foreign Legion. Through the experiences of young recruits from around the world, the project explores the tensions between uprooting, the erasure of identity, and the search for belonging.
Her first book, MIDO, was published by KAHL EDITIONS in 2021. Her second book, Patria Nostra, will be published by Loose Joints in November 2026.