TITLE: DIFFERENT IS BEAUTIFUL

At the heart of DIFFERENT IS BEAUTIFUL, the intention is to bring society face to face with disability through a traveling exhibition of 100 black and white photos, each of the models of which is the bearer of a disability, be it visible or invisible...
The aim of the exhibition is to encourage us all to question our own view of differences, as well as that of society as a whole. Differences that will be laid bare and exhibited without taboos in the street, in public places, for all to see.

I travelled across France throughout 2022 to photograph 100 models of all ages, genders, origins and professional backgrounds. Among them are students, entrepreneurs, influencers and top athletes.

Through these portraits, with courage and determination, each of them has laid themselves bare and confided their story, with its share of trials and despair, but also of successes, encounters and friendship.
These portraits, both therapy for the models and hopeful testimony, speak of self-acceptance and, above all, of surpassing oneself.

I am pleased to share these extracts with you today.

AUTHOR: Francesca Clayton (France)

My name is Francesca Clayton, 34 years old, British by birth, French by adoption. Mother of 2 daughters, I've been passionate about photography for around 20 years.

Starting with portraits of my family and friends, I quickly fell in love with taking pictures of people in all their beauty and from all angles.

Since the beginning of 2022, I've been working on a photographic exhibition called DIFFERENT IS BEAUTIFUL 2.0, focusing on a subject close to my heart: disability.

Why do you ask?
When I was a teenager, walking with a friend suffering from cerebral palsy, I experienced with anger those "looks that need changing". Her unbalanced gait aroused curiosity. Heads turned towards her, stares pursued us. Weighed down, insistent, but she insisted on making me understand that this behavior was "normal".
Above all, she made me understand that if these glances bothered me so much, it was perhaps because I myself had difficulty accepting her disability. That day, my friend taught me a real lesson, which matured and gave birth to this project.

At the heart of the project, the intention is to bring society face to face with disability through a traveling exhibition of 100 black and white photos, each of the models of which is the bearer of a disability, be it visible, invisible, motor...
The aim of the exhibition is to encourage us all to question our own view of differences, as well as that of society as a whole. Differences that will be laid bare and exhibited without taboos in the street, in public places, for all to see.

I travelled across France throughout 2022 to photograph 100 models of all ages, genders, origins and professional backgrounds. Among them are students, entrepreneurs, influencers and top athletes.

Through these portraits, with courage and determination, each of them has laid themselves bare and confided their story, with its share of trials and despair, but also of successes, encounters and friendship.
These portraits, both therapy for the models and hopeful testimony, speak of self-acceptance and, above all, of surpassing oneself.

I aim to continue working on this subject among many others that hold social meaning, and important messages to share with the world.

We are all actors in the evolution of our society. My way is through the beautiful art of photography.