NEW YORK, NY.- Backstage Dreams. The Secret Door to Sets (Damiani Books, 2025) is the first monograph by photographer Eric James Guillemain, bringing together 200 works and spanning 15 years of his career. It documents the intimate and privileged moments of the actor at their most vulnerable—reserved and introspective before each performance—reflecting, contemplating, and caught off guard. Guillemain’s work is a journey of exploration, rich with fascinating contrasts between empty theatrical sets and a rare series of portraits evoking that final step, that last breath, from the wings to the stage or from the dressing room to the set.
From Wim Wenders to Helen Mirren, Nick Cave, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver, Isabelle Huppert, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Scarlett Johansson, Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Julianne Moore, Simon Baker, Léa Seydoux, Juliette Binoche, Marianne Faithfull, Yōsuke Kubozuka, Matthew McConaughey, Vanessa Paradis, Carla Bruni, Sophie Marceau, Norman Reedus, Diane Kruger, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sharon Stone, and many others, Backstage Dreams offers a glimpse into those usually unseen moments as they transform into an unexpected, meditative, and ultimately spiritual artistic experience. They radiate with the expectation and anticipation of things to come, of creations yet to be unveiled.
“Backstage Dreams bears witness to those transformative moments when, in the very act of taking pictures, I heard the call and stepped away from my original plan. Sometimes for just a few fleeting seconds of rapture, through unguarded moments or in the makeup room between two takes … inverting my logics in the next available mirror. There, I swiftly exposed my subjects anew in a more authentic way. Behind the scenes, in those liminal spaces, I became a witness to the artistry of others, blending into their unique backdrops, living in the interstices, turning invisible, forgotten, and ultimately liberated.” – Eric James Guillemain
Born in Morocco and raised in Paris, Eric James Guillemain moved to New York in 2002 to pursue a path in music, but pivoted when he discovered a passion for photography, launching his career in 2010. The pursuit of elusive artful moments has led him across continents, photographing subjects that range from haunting urban and natural landscapes to the most famous faces in the world. His style, candid and evocative, invites a deeper connection with his subjects, whether they be movie stars, mountains, or lone cars by the roadside. His clients include Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, L’Oreal, and more.
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