Founded in 1870, the Samaritaine is one of the most emblematic buildings in Paris, presenting a subtle blend of Art Deco and Art Nouveau. In parallel with a major commission of works by some fifty artists (presented in the book Samaritaines, published in January 2021), the Samaritaine gave carte blanche to photographers Pierre-Olivier Deschamps and Vladimir Vasilev, who were able to access the site between 2015 and 2020, and follow the building's metamorphosis.

This colossal project of more than 80,000 m2 on eleven levels, in the heart of Paris, has therefore become for five years the playground of the two artists. Pierre-Olivier Deschamps was interested in the architecture, the variations in scale and the extraordinary colors that the organized chaos of the site created. This work taken with the photographic chamber offers an unexpected beauty through a pictorial approach of the place. Vladimir Vasilev, meanwhile, took an interest in both the building as well as in the men and women who bustled about in this anthill, offering a multi-faceted face to this transformation.

The book Métamorphose combines these two approaches in a chronological sequence, enriched by a text by Christian Caujolle and an interview with the two artists, which contextualize this unique photographic campaign.