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Angels

Artist Statement by Franck Bohbot: Almost everyone has an image of Los Angeles before ever setting foot there. The myths are persistent: a city of stars, palm trees, sunsets, and broken dreams. When I first visited, it wasn’t with the intention to photograph. I came as a father, a husband, a tourist, with only a small Leica in hand and no tripod. What I found was something far more complex than any cliché could capture. The Angels series began instinctively, born from long walks, empty streets, strange lights, and the quiet poetry of everyday scenes. I saw a city that stretches endlessly in all directions, where contradictions live side by side — glamour and grit, loneliness and sunlight, silence and spectacle. Over time, especially during the pandemic, I continued to document Los Angeles not as a filmmaker would, but as someone framing stills from a film that doesn’t exist. These are moments suspended between fiction and reality. I photograph LA like a foreigner, an observer. Someone seduced by its cinematic textures but also aware of its cracks. In this series, a solitary streetlamp glows like a beacon in neon darkness. Power lines slice through painted skies. Gym equipment on a deserted beach becomes a monument to stillness. I isolate subjects and let architecture, weather, and space tell the rest of the story. The atmosphere matters as much as the subject. Over the years, the city has revealed more of itself. From Venice Beach to Boyle Heights, Melrose to Downtown, I’ve chased both light and absence, the dream and the debris. I’ve witnessed the weight of inequality, the resilience of protest, and the raw humanity of public spaces. Through it all, I remain fascinated by the way Los Angeles reflects and refracts the American myth. This work is a study in observation and color, memory and mood. Every image is real, but charged with something just beyond the frame. If there are angels here, perhaps they live in the sky I so often include. Or maybe in the spaces between people, watching quietly like I do. Angels is not just a portrait of a city. It’s a portrait of looking.

Family Road Trip, Long Beach California, 2020

Family Road Trip, Long Beach California, 2020

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Surfers Waiting, Santa Monica California, 2021

Surfers Waiting, Santa Monica California, 2021

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Sakteboarder walking, Venice Beach, California, 2017

Sakteboarder walking, Venice Beach, California, 2017

from $325.00

Pink Melrose, Los Angeles, 2019

Pink Melrose, Los Angeles, 2019

from $325.00

Ferry Wheel, Newport Beach, California, 2020

Ferry Wheel, Newport Beach, California, 2020

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Drive, Venice Beach, California, 2019

Drive, Venice Beach, California, 2019

from $325.00

Trashy

Trashy

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Yellow Melrose, West Hollywood, California, 2020.

Yellow Melrose, West Hollywood, California, 2020.

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Woman Workout, Los Angeles, California, 2020

Woman Workout, Los Angeles, California, 2020

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Woman on the Bench, Santa Monica, California, 2022

Woman on the Bench, Santa Monica, California, 2022

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Virgil, East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, 2021

Virgil, East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, 2021

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Thailand Plaza, Hollywood, California, 2022

Thailand Plaza, Hollywood, California, 2022

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Swimmers, Long Beach, California, 2020

Swimmers, Long Beach, California, 2020

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Scooter Boy, Hollywood, California, 2020

Scooter Boy, Hollywood, California, 2020

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RRL & Co, Malibu, California, 2017

RRL & Co, Malibu, California, 2017

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Roller Girls, Venice Beach, California, 2020

Roller Girls, Venice Beach, California, 2020

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Public Restrooms, Venice Beach, California, 2020

Public Restrooms, Venice Beach, California, 2020

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Pool Time, Belvedere aquatic center, Los Angeles, California, 20

Pool Time, Belvedere aquatic center, Los Angeles, California, 20

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Men's Walking, Melrose, Los Angeles, California, 2020.

Men's Walking, Melrose, Los Angeles, California, 2020.

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Man walking, Long Beach, California, 2020.

Man walking, Long Beach, California, 2020.

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Downey, California, 2020

Downey, California, 2020

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Man in the Griffith Park, Los Angeles, 2021

Man in the Griffith Park, Los Angeles, 2021

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Man at Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, 2017

Man at Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, 2017

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Pickleball Morning

Pickleball Morning

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Little Girld at the The Huntington Library, San Marino, Calfiron

Little Girld at the The Huntington Library, San Marino, Calfiron

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Lifeguard, Belmont Shore, California, 2020

Lifeguard, Belmont Shore, California, 2020

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L.a. Eyeworks, West Hollywood, California, 2020

L.a. Eyeworks, West Hollywood, California, 2020

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Just Wash It, East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, 2021

Just Wash It, East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, 2021

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I Follow You

I Follow You

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Hot Dog Stick, Santa Monica, California, 2022

Hot Dog Stick, Santa Monica, California, 2022

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Hoop Dreams, Palm Springs, California, 2020

Hoop Dreams, Palm Springs, California, 2020

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Hollywood Premiere Motel, Los Angeles, CA, 2021

Hollywood Premiere Motel, Los Angeles, CA, 2021

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Girls Play, Manhattan Beach, CA, 2020

Girls Play, Manhattan Beach, CA, 2020

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Forever Young, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, 2017.jpg

Forever Young, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, 2017.jpg

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Fisherman, Manhattan Beach, California, 2018.

Fisherman, Manhattan Beach, California, 2018.

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Father and Sons, Long Beach, California, 2020.jpg

Father and Sons, Long Beach, California, 2020.jpg

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El Vendedor

El Vendedor

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Eat & Play, Santa Monica, California, 2022

Eat & Play, Santa Monica, California, 2022

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Driving Dowtown, DTLA, California, 2020

Driving Dowtown, DTLA, California, 2020

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Conton Candy, Santa Monica

Conton Candy, Santa Monica

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Come Try Beach Tennis, Manhattan, Beach, California, 2017.

Come Try Beach Tennis, Manhattan, Beach, California, 2017.

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Coffee Dose, Los Angeles, California, 2020

Coffee Dose, Los Angeles, California, 2020

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Bubbles, Manahttan Beach, California, 2020

Bubbles, Manahttan Beach, California, 2020

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Bryant, Santa Monica, California, 2022

Bryant, Santa Monica, California, 2022

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AMC Theater, Santa Monica, California, 2017.

AMC Theater, Santa Monica, California, 2017.

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Beach Tennis, Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles, California, 2017

Beach Tennis, Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles, California, 2017

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Asleep, Long Beach, California, 2020

Asleep, Long Beach, California, 2020

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Beach Reads, Hermosa Beach, California, 2017

Beach Reads, Hermosa Beach, California, 2017

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Beach Handball, Hermosa Beach,

Beach Handball, Hermosa Beach,

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Come Try Beach Tennis, Manhattan, Beach, California, 2017.

Come Try Beach Tennis, Manhattan, Beach, California, 2017.

from $325.00