The “Between Mountains, Hills and Lakes” photography exhibition is being held at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center. Entry is free.
A visitor at the exhibition. Photos courtesy of Design Society
Curated by He Yining, the exhibition is based on He’s two years of research in Switzerland and examines artworks in photography and related media that explore the Swiss society and culture from geographic, mythical, technological and everyday perspectives. Using geography as a metaphor, the exhibition not only aims to present Switzerland as a melting pot for diverse cultures and complexities, but also hopes to illustrate the uniqueness of contemporary Swiss art.
The nine projects at the exhibition come from seven leading photographers from Switzerland and two Chinese photographers who in recent years have completed residencies in Switzerland. These artworks combine to construct a multi-layered visual representation of contemporary Switzerland for visitors to traverse and explore.
In “Malleus Maleficarum,” Virginie Rebetez starts a dialogue between past and present by investigating the phenomenon of mediums and healers, which are common in the catholic region of Fribourg, and learning about their identity and practice as she places them in the broader historical context of witch-hunting.
Part of Virginie Rebetez’s “Malleus Maleficarum” series (2018) on display.
Thomas Brasey’s “Libre” revisits the attempts by the people of the Republique et Canton du Jura to fight for their independent identity in the 1960s and 1970s, which was a unique event in Switzerland’s modern history.
In “Die Winter,” Stephane Winter draws inspiration from the story of his own life as an adopted child and approaches the subject with positivity and a sense of humor. Through heartwarming photos of everyday life, the artist encourages viewers to reconsider the definition of “family” and to free oneself from preconceived notions of what it should be.
Olga Cafiero’s “Costiss” is rooted in Switzerland’s unique landscape and focuses on the Valle Verzasca, a valley in the Locarno district of the Canton of Ticino. By integrating the mythical nature of the valley and one’s own identity, her work delves deep into the culture of the region.
In “Janus on the Mountains,” Zhu Lanqing sees the Alps not as a symbol of wilderness but as a conquered property for entertainment and consumerism. Her work explores the ways human activities have been affecting the local landscape.
Christoph Oeschger’s “2°” explores the complex relationship between climate politics and environmental protection with cutting-edge imaging technologies.
In “Bubbles,” Chen Haishu turns his gaze toward water, one of the most important natural resources in Switzerland. From large-scale mountain reservoirs to aquatic ecosystems on the micro-level, his work combines various media in a fictional narrative, exploring the artificialization of nature and its subsequent re-naturalization.
Chen Haishu’s “Bubbles” series (2019) on display at Park View Gallery.
In “Beauty of Science,” Catherine Leutenegger visits the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne and spends a year making numerous intricate portraits of science and technology that challenge the boundary between the images she creates and those she discovers and shares, which allows her to capture the present while envisioning the future.
In contrast, Matthieu Gafsou’s “H+” presents an ongoing conversation between photography and transhumanism, in which the artist is able to create a detailed map of the transhumanist revolution.
Dates: Until Sept. 8
Venue: Park View Gallery, 1/F, Sea World Culture and Arts Center, Nanshan District (南山区海上世界文化艺术中心一楼园景展馆)
Metro: Line 2 to Sea World Station (海上世界站), Exit A