Tuesday 3 December 2013

Yan Morvan / Gang Story


Very scarce- on account of it being banned shortly after it's release. One of the best books on gangs and gang culture by the great Yan Morvan- who is more of a journalist or a war correspondant than a classic photographer. "Yan Morvan has been documenting gangs in France's suburbs for 40 years, he's followed the Hell's Angels, Skinheads and even serial killer Guy Georges, who took him hostage in 1995 and tortured him for three weeks. This experience forced Morvan to call it quits but, in 2000, he released the book Gangs Story, providing a retrospective of his work." From the bikers of the seventies, skinheads, 50s kids etc to current banlieu crews they're all here. Morvan really hung out with his subjects, so there's lots of very personal stuff, it's a real insight into peoples lives. Crews, firearms, drugs, junkies, sex, corpses and the like. Hundereds of brilliant and candid photographs. One of the best.