Paris-based photographer and filmmaker Kevin Couliau aims to unearth stories illuminating sports' profound impact on individuals and societies.
Son of an architect and brother to a pro skateboarder, a youth immersed in creativity and a deep passion for basketball helped him develop a keen understanding of sociology and urban design that seamlessly integrates into the composition and substance of his photography and films.
An essential part of his work examines the significant impact of basketball courts on urban landscapes and communities, capturing the people, details, colors, and structures as genuine ecosystems in constant evolution, witnessing the use of these spaces as absolute territories, recreational fields, or refuges to escape the day-to-day reality.
In 2013, he directed and filmed the award-winning documentary Doin' It In The Park (Netflix, PBS, Sundance Channel), delving into the rich history, culture, and global influence of pick-up basketball in New York City. Since then, Kevin has been exploring and documenting the sport's culture in more than 60 countries, establishing himself as the game's global explorer while revealing its boundless reach and power through exhibitions and publications.
His ability to capture stills, motion, and craft compelling narratives enables him to undertake a diverse range of short and long-form projects, leading to collaborations with renowned international entities such as Nike, Apple, and Hennessy, as well as cultural icons like LeBron James, Billie Eilish, Kobe Bryant, and Barack Obama.
Additionally, he devotes time throughout the year to Giants Of Africa, a non-profit organization leveraging basketball to educate and enrich the lives of youth in Africa.
”Blacktop Memento, fragments of erosion”
published by Asphalt Chronicles & Common Practice - 2022
“When Basketball Inspires” - 2021
published by Trajectoire Studio (featured artist)
“The City Game” - 2020
published by Rizzoli Electa & MCNY (contributor)
Asphalt Chronicles
#03 Paris - 2017
#02 Dakar - 2016
#01 Manila - 2014
published by Asphalt Chronicles
Hennessy
"French photographer explores a global game's social impact"
Vice
"These are the Most Beautiful Courts in the World"
Emirates Woman
"We talk to legendary basketball photographer Kevin Couliau"
BSTN
"Feed Fam : Kevin Couliau”
Complex
" Bobbito Garcia & Kevin Couliau talk Doin' It In The Park"
Athleta
"Behind The Lights”
Fubiz
”Sphere of Influence by Kevin Couliau”
At the heart of Blacktop Memento is Kevin Couliau’s obsession with playground basketball and its imprint on urban landscapes. An authentic tribute to the outdoor game, this collection of unpublished photos takes us back to the true essence of the game, where everything – asphalt and players – is altered by the countless steps, jumps, and bounces.
Through an archaeological exploration, French photographer Kevin Couliau traces with Blacktop Memento an original cartography of asperities, wrinkles, and color spectra: memories sculpted by the encounters between man and matter.
Blacktop Memento is an independently published book retracing 10 years of photographic archives. Couliau’s first book, entirely printed and fashioned in French workshops using traditional binding techniques, showcases an unprecedented selection of stills produced from his personal archives, a series of 76 playground close-ups collected worldwide for over a decade.
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