L’Appartement – Espace Images Vevey
About
L’Appartement – Espace Images Vevey is the permanent showcase for Images Vevey’s activities. L’Appartement is located in the main hall of the Vevey train station, on the 2nd floor. This atypical and ideally located historical venue was formerly used to house railway workers families: today it is transformed into an art space hosting around fifteen artist projects and exhibitions per year, free of charge. It functions as a link between two editions of the Biennale Images Vevey and helps to keep the “Vevey ville d’images” urban marketing label alive throughout the year.
Days and opening hours
L’Appartement – Espace Images Vevey is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 2 pm to 6 pm.
Main hall of Vevey SBB station, 2nd floor
Place de la Gare, 1800 Vevey
Free admission
On the right as you enter Vevey station, take the stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor exhibition area.
Phone : +41 76 815 76 15
Currently
Published in 1996 in Switzerland by Scalo, Richard Billingham’s Ray’s a Laugh stands out as one of the most significant photography books of the late 20th century. To mark the book’s 30th anniversary, Images Vevey is staging an exhibition at L’Appartement – Espace Images Vevey. In the early 1990s, Billingham documented the daily lives of his father Ray, his mother Liz and his brother Jason in the suburbs of Birmingham, in post-Thatcher England. Ray’s alcoholism prompted his wife to move into the block of flats opposite. The exhibition reconstructs, for the first time, life between these two social housing flats and delves into the intimacy of the household. Both participant and observer, the artist captures joyful and chaotic scenes unfiltered. He reveals a family weathering hardships with humour and a jovial, ever-present father. Ray’s a Laugh – 30 years paints a family portrait with universal appeal and pays tribute to a series that has achieved cult status.
This project has been awarded the ‘Bicentenary of Photography’ label by the French Ministry of Culture and forms part of the official programme of events marking the invention of photography in 1826/1827.
RAY
During his teenage years, Richard Billingham lived in the Midlands with his father Ray, whilst his mother Liz had moved into the block of flats opposite. There, he captured Ray’s daily life, as he spent his days confined to his home, occasionally punctuated by visits from Liz, who would enquire after his well-being. Through these black-and-white portraits, the exhibition recreates Ray’s sparse living space. These photographs, taken during his youth, are echoed by images of caged animals taken fifteen years later by the photographer, recalling family outings to the nearby zoo. In 1996, the Swiss publisher Walter Keller (SCALO) published this first series, helping to establish Ray’s a Laugh as a landmark work. Images Vevey is presenting this body of work for the first time, expanded to include photographs published in 2024 by MACK. Billingham is also undertaking a pilot project to raise funds for a feature-length film. Blurring the lines between reality and fiction, this short film features actors playing the roles of his parents and recreates the atmosphere of Ray’s bedroom, leading to the 2018 film Ray and Liz
LES CHAMBRES
LE COULOIR
LE SALON
LE CINÉMA
LIZ
Unable to put up with Ray’s alcoholism any longer, Liz moves into the block opposite. A few years later, Richard Billingham’s mother agrees to let her husband and eldest son move in with her, provided Ray gives up drinking. Billingham photographs this new phase of his life in the early 1990s: he delves into the heart of the everyday interactions between his parents, Ray and Liz, and his brother Jason, without filters or pretence. He was one of the first photographers to capture his family in colour and in such an intimate way. Alongside these intense, candid photographs is the film Fishtank (1998), each offering a deep immersion into daily life, family dynamics and this unique family environment. Looking beyond appearances, Billingham presents a portrait of a colourful family which, despite social precariousness and domestic chaos, remains loving and deeply endearing. The installation replicates the layout of the ‘Sensation’ exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, which brought Billingham to prominence alongside the Young British Artists in 1997, supplemented by previously unseen prints.
PLAN DES ESPACES
1. LES CHAMBRES
a monographic exhibition
2. LE COULOIR
an exhibition tailored for children
3. LE SALON
an artist’s book
4. LE CINEMA
an artist video
5. LA CUISINE
welcome desk, bookshop and boutique
6. LA TERRASSE
panoramic relaxation
7. LE BALCON
opening event
L’APPARTEMENT – Espace Images Vevey
A place of inspiration located on the Vaud Riviera
Covering an area of 220 square metres, L’Appartement features an entrance hall, a lift (with access for people with reduced mobility), three rooms (for solo exhibitions), a bathroom, a corridor (dedicated to exhibitions for children), a home cinema (screening room), a lounge (for the presentation of an artist’s book), a balcony (used for opening events), and a large, sunny terrace. Ideally located, it enjoys a privileged setting just steps away from Vevey train station.
BOOKSHOP
Images Vevey’s editorial strategy is built around collaborations with publishing houses specialising in photography, as well as directly with artists. Since 2015, Images Vevey has positioned itself as a supporter of innovative publishing projects, notably through the Images Vevey Book Award.
BOUTIQUE
In addition to a wide selection of art books, Images Vevey offers an exclusive line of bags and accessories made from the tarpaulins of the Biennale Images Vevey. Previously displayed on the façades of the city, these artworks have been transformed into wallets, tote bags, backpacks or beach bags. Each piece is unique and 100% Swiss made!