Barr. Photographer Denis Werwer as guest of honor on the final day of the Rue des Arts

If you're reading this, you'll probably be familiar with Denis Werwer. A press correspondent since 1991, first for L'Alsace and then for DNA , his articles on local news, primarily in Epfig, his home town, and more broadly in Central Alsace, regularly feature on our pages. His photo slideshows also feature on our website.

His story with the lens began in childhood. He wrote it as a complete autodidact. The traces of his first photographs date back to when he was 11, one day when he insisted to his mother that he go to Sélestat to admire racing cars – the love of motorsport having never left him since.

Beyond mechanics, his horizons have since expanded considerably. We're not just talking about photos brought back from several trips (India, Kenya, Senegal, or Quebec, etc.), but also about animal photography, which has become one of his favorite themes. Denis Werwer excels at capturing the fleeting encounter with a bird, a dragonfly, or a litter of fox cubs... And for that, there's no need to go very far this time: "I'm lucky enough to live in a place where biodiversity is very important. The red kite on the poster passes by my house every two days."

Being in nature is more than a hobby for him: "It's a need." Reconnecting is always a joy, "even when the 'hunt' [for photos] hasn't been great."

Yet leaving this tranquility behind, he sometimes plunges into the excitement of major events. There too, other suspended moments are woven at the foot of the stage of a concert or festival, which he loves to capture just as much: "Intersecting the gaze of a Bernard Lavilliers three meters away from you, who stares deep into your eyes, is a truly powerful moment," he cites as an example. The same emotion that animates him at the sight of a beautiful sparrow.

Although it is rare for Denis Werwer to present his work in public, mainly for the pleasure of relatives and readers of the newspaper, a "unique experience" will have "really marked" him: his exhibition at the Marcel-Krieg nursing home in Barr , in 2019, with a gallery of portraits and snippets of life mixing residents and caregivers.

Nature, sport, street art, shows, travel, portraits... A kaleidoscope to which Rue des Arts, "an opportunity that cannot be refused", will offer its showcase this Sunday, in the space at 66 Grand-Rue.

La Rue des arts, Sunday August 3 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the Grand-Rue de Barr.