Matthieu Gafsou immersed himself in the lives of addicts for over a year. His photographs reveal the night, show the loss of morality and a changed reality. The portraits - sublime, painterly shots that move far away from common clichés - stand next to still lifes, allegorical landscapes and abstractions. Together they bring forth a dark poetic world in which photography's function is to render something as a fantasy rather than to explain it. Matthieu Gafsou lives and works in Lausanne, Switzerland. After studying history and film theory, he studied photography at the School of Applied Arts in Vevey. Since 2006 he has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe and the USA. In 2009 he received the Prix de la foundation HSBC pour la photographie. Gafsou was also awarded in 2010 for the exhibitionreGeneration2 , organized by the Musée de l'Elysée and showcasing young aspiring photographers from around the world. Since 2012 teaches at the University of Art and Design in Lausanne.