Super Natural!

Immaculate, precise and prosperous; attractive, safe and reliable: Switzerland and Japan share many common references in the collective imagination. This resonance is both real and imagined, embodied and fantasized, lived and mediatized.

Idealized societies, abundant unspoiled nature, picturesque landscapes, engineering at the cutting edge of technological progress and medical biotechnology: all these fragments tell the story of a seemingly unique order.

This exhibition explores the cultural seeds, underlying myths and narrative dynamics that fuel this remarkable image. More importantly, it asks how we can reappropriate these myths to better meet today's challenges. By observing each other, both countries are likely to understand each other better, and are able to question the image they convey.

On the occasion of the 160th anniversary of bilateral relations between Switzerland and Japan in 2024, Super Natural! explores the mutual fascination between the two countries through the perspectives of six photographers.

Artists

Rumi Ando (JP, 1985)

Born in Okayama Prefecture in 1985. After graduating from the Department of Intermedia Art at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2010, she joined An Co., Ltd. of the Amana Group. In 2019, she won the Excellence Award selected by Nathalie Herschdorfer at THE REFERENCE ASIA "PHOTO PRIZE 2019." She has published a photobook titled "TOKYO NUDE." She has developed a photographic language that illustrates reality in a pictorial way, with particular emphasis on composition.

Site web de l'artiste

Ester Vonplon (CH, 1980)

Born in 1980, based in Castrisch, Graubünden, Switzerland. After studying photography at the Schiffbauerdamm school of photography in Berlin, she earned a master's degree from Zurich University of the Arts in 2013. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. She received the "Manor Cultural Prize" and the "SAC (Swiss Alpine Club) Art Prize" in 2017. Her images invite us to think about the relationship between humans and the environment, and on the impact of our actions on nature

Site web de l'artiste

Maxime Guyon (CH, 1990)

Born in 1990, currently based between Geneva and Paris. After graduating at the top of his class from ECAL - the University of Art and Design in Lausanne, Switzerland , he contributed to the establishment of the master's photography program at the same school and was involved in the "Augmented Photography" project. His work explores the sculptural dimensions and dematerialization of the photographic medium, focusing on technological changes in contemporary society.

Site web de l'artiste

Keita Kojima (JP, 1985)

Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1985. Graduated from the Department of Visual Design at Kanazawa College of Art in 2010. As an art director and graphic designer, he handles direction and design for advertisements, product packaging, and books. In recent years, he has created works that visually explore the relationship between the meaning of words and the shapes of letters using augmented reality (AR). He develops AR works where virtual word monuments appear in various locations throughout Tokyo's Shibuya district.

Site web de l'artiste

Taisuke Koyama (JP, 1978)

Born in 1978. Currently based in Tokyo, he creates experimental photographs, videos, an installations informed by his background in biology and natural environment studies. From 2014, he worked in London and later Amsterdam under the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Overseas Study Program for Upcoming Artists. Since 2018, he has led "TOKYO PHOTOGRAPHIC RESEARCH," a project examining contemporary cities and societies. He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Japan and abroad.

Site web de l'artiste

Delphine Burtin (CH, 1974)

Born in Switzerland in 1974, based in Lausanne. She studied photography at the School of Applied Arts in Vevey, Switzerland. She began her career as an artist around 2012, gainingattention with her work "Sans Condition Initiale," which was selected for "ReGeneration3 – Quelles perspectives pour la photographie?" by Photo Elysée in 2015. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally and has received numerous awards, including the Swiss Design Award (2016). Her work explores notions of illusion and disappearance through still life. In this series, she looks at the representation of the mountain, a powerful cultural symbol, in its artificial form.

Site web de l'artiste

Artistes

Credits

Super Natural!

Curation
Lisa Benaroyo, traveling Exhibitions and External Projects Manager at Photo Elysée
Nathalie Herschdorfer, director of Photo Elysée

Partners

The exhibition is an initiative of Photo Elysée and the Swiss Embassy in Japan, in cooperation with Tokyo Photographic Research.

The exhibition is part of UBS support to Photo Elysée.