Patrick Welde is so cool and he doesn't seem to give a rat's ass. You may not know much about him but once you do, you will want to be him. He isn't flashy or pretentious and his work is perfectly provocative. He cares more about freedom than fashion and he can lick a body part that most people can not.

What is it like to be based in Paris? You shoot a lot in the countryside - is that were you live or do you make trips out there just for your image making?
I’ve been based in Paris for 4 years now but i come from the East of France and it’s really important for me to go back there to think about my pictures, I think that I create most of my work there.

““I don’t know why we always have to categorize everything...I just want to take a picture that I like in terms of image. The most important thing for me is to tell stories.””

— Patrick Welde

Your "Fuck The System" series is a number of faceless self portraits using masks and fabrics to cover your face. I bet this was harder than it looks - especially since you are holding a chicken in one. Did you shoot these all in one day? Any eventful behind the scenes stories? Any casualties? Did any cows kick you or any chickens peck you? Were you chased off the property by a guy with a gun or anything?
Fuck the System was for me a critic about the fashion industry, I made it within 1 month around my parents house. Most of the time I take all the pictures alone, it’s really funny - but sometimes a bit difficult too. For the picture with the chicken I first had to ask my father for his chicken and some help from a friend. Not chased, there are only some old people in this village so nobody saw me.

In terms of a defining title, I personally find it really hard to explain to others what I do for work. How do you explain yourself to people? What do you call yourself? Photographer? Stylist? Director? Artist? Just a boy in world?
Yes it’s always hard to explain to people what I do in my life, but I always talk about it as as well as ‘’sexuality" I don’t know why we always have to categorize everything. I don’t want to call me a « photographer" as I have no technic skills, I shoot with an old numeric or analog. I don’t care about quality or anything. I just want to take a picture that I like in terms of image. The most important things for me is to tell stories.

What I like about your work is that a lot of your images are fashionable and on trend without using in - your - face designers. Is this on purpose? If you were to pull from designers for a shoot, who would you choose?
Yes for me it’s important to think about the future and not about big brands, that’s why I like to look at all the the new designers who just finished school. I think that’s how is our new generation. We have been seeing the same brands in magazines for years, it’s kind of boring sometimes, isn’t it?

What would be a dream client for you - are there any commercial brands or companies that you would align yourself with or are you more of a lone ranger in that sense?
I would like to work with a lot of people, but I don’t have any ideas yet. Most important things for me is to keep my freedom in the project.

I really loved your save the world banner....Would you consider your work politically charged? What super human powers would one need to save the world? Or do we have the capacity?
Of course, I am always questioning myself about what we can do in this world controlled by all the politicians. Super Human Powers is to be together/united.

Are you superstitious? Do you believe in voodoo? God?
I believe in Humans but I don’t believe in any kind of religion or anything. If god exists, I wonder why is everything around us so disgusting?

I consider you to be one of my leading influences as a creative. What contemporary artists do you look to for inspiration?
I think that most of my influences come from what I saw in my childhood, especially music video from Laurent Boutonnat with the artist Mylene Farmer, I love the colours that he used and the atmosphere of each videos. Around 10 I was fascinated by a video from them called "Sans Logique ». I was hypnotized by the story of this woman dressed as a Taurus in front of some gypsy people in a cold atmosphere. For artists, I love photographer like Rineke Dijkstra, Tom Wood, Thomas Ruff - especially for his portraits - and Hans Eijkelboom and his book People of the Twenty-First Century.

““The most important thing for me is to keep my freedom in any given project.””

— Patrick Welde

Is there an odd talent that you possess? Like a super human body trick or like, can you burp the abc's or anything cool? Impress us.
When I was young I broke my arms because I tried to be Tarzan in some trees, and since then I am can lick my elbow.

Choose one: A hot dog with Justin Bieber or Mcdonalds with Madonna?
Please, Mother Madonna forever. ♡