Wrap up for the Biennale Images Vevey!
Monumental installation by Phyllis Ma, Mushrooms & Friends, at the Théâtre de Verdure
(DIS)CONNECTED. ENTRE PASSÉ ET FUTUR
The 9th edition of the Images Vevey Biennial, with the theme ‘(dis)connected. Between past and future’, is drawing to a close after three weeks of unprecedented visual experiences. This central theme has allowed us to question our connections and our disruptions in a world in the grip of digital change, where history and technology constantly intersect, creating new dialogues between the past and the future. From 7 to 29 September 2024, fifty unique, made-to-measure installations by artists from 22 countries, transformed the town of Vevey into a testament to our times, combining tradition and innovation.
Installation of Beni Bischof, Made on Earth by Humans
« ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE VISUAL ARTS FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD »
Entirely free of charge, the exhibitions occupied both public spacesand thecentre of Vevey, which was specially transformed for the occasion. National and international recognition testifies to the quality and scope of the projects exhibited by the event. According to the daily Le Monde, ‘the result is of the highest quality, making Vevey one of the world’s leading visual arts festivals’.
The Biennale’s strength lies in its unrivalled expertise in project design. It offers an artistic programme that combines the discovery of emerging talent with the presentation of works by well-known personalities in photography, alongside established artists. These artists present exclusive projects, conceived and produced specifically for Images Vevey.
This year’s event was a real platform for exchange, creating lasting links between culture, heritage, tourism and the economy. The Biennial saw a marked increase in the number of guided tours, with a record 7,500 schoolchildren and students taking part in its cultural mediation activities.
The co-production of exhibitions alongside prestigious institutions such as the Fondation Henri-Cartier Bresson in Paris, the C/O Berlin, the Kunsthaus Zürich and Photo Elysée in Lausanne also contributed greatly to the artistic quality and profile of this year’s event.
AN ICONIC FACE
On social media, comedian Yoann Provenzano played a key role. Being from the region, he made a lasting impression with his creative content, street interviews, and personal favorites, further strengthening the local connection of the Biennale while explaining the projects to the general public in an original way.
Voir les reels
Images Vevey x Yoann Provenzano
A UNIQUE LOCATION: THE NESTLÉ GARDENS
Monumental tarpaulin featuring an image by Vincent Jendly from his Belle Époque series, on the Nestlé façade
On 29 August 2024, Images Vevey and Nestlé unveiled the Biennale’s largest work, a 1,000 square metre image by Vincent Jendly on the façade and two installations in the gardens of the Vevey-based multinational, open to the public for the first time in its history. A one-of-a-kind moment where contemporary art came alive in an unprecedented environment!
BOOK + RACLETTE = BOOKLETTE
As every year, Images Vevey and Photo Elysée propose a simple and friendly equation: Books + Raclette = Booklette. During this 2024 edition, you had the chance to discover 34 publishers of Swiss and international photography books and enjoy kilos of cheese. At the Images Vevey stand, you could explore the three new titles published by Éditions Images Vevey: Debsuddha (India), Anna Galí (Spain), and Jenny Rova (Sweden/Switzerland).
« HIGHLIGHTS »
Paul Graham for Images Vevey at Times Square, New York
n May 2024, with artist Paul Graham, Images Vevey presented a week-long monumental installation in New York‘s Times Square, kicking off this year’s edition of the Biennial by tackling the current polarisation between analogue and digital.
Aletsch Glacier photographed by Andreas Gursky on August 8, 1993
© Andreas Gursky / VG Bild-Kunst · Courtesy Sprüth Magers
Aletsch Glacier II, 2024, photographed by Andreas Gursky on August 8, 2024
© Andreas Gursky / VG Bild-Kunst · Courtesy Sprüth Magers
In 1993, Andreas Gursky captured the Aletsch Glacier, the largest in the Alps and a symbol of glacier melting, using an analog camera. Thirty years later, this image remains highly relevant, embodying the issue of climate change.
On 8 August 2024, Andreas Gurksy unveiled a new photograph of the Aletsch glacier, taken exclusively for the Biennial Images Vevey, a few weeks before it opened and thirty-one years after his famous analogue photograph taken in 1993.
Plane Landing installation by Aleksandra Mir
In collaboration with Kunsthaus Zürich
On 7 September 2024, Aleksandra Mir unveiled a unique monumental piece. This work is composed of 192 collages, created from images connected with the Vevey region, accompanying her giant aeroplane installed in the heart of the Salle del Castillo.
Opening of the Images Vevey Biennial, Stefano Stoll brings together the artist Debsuddha and his mentor Martin Parr
Other memorable moments included an emotional first meeting on stage at the opening, between Indian photographer Debsuddha, winner of the Vevey 2023/2024 Images Book Prize, and his mentor – photography legend Martin Parr, with whom he had been conversing by email for several years.
Or the conspicuous absence of Ukrainian artist Sasha Kurmaz, winner of the Grand Prix Images Vevey 2023/2024. His personal diary of the war in 300 object images using only material found in the rubble is an extraordinary analogue reportage in the age of digital warfare.
WHAT’S NEXT ?
Exhibitions continuing beyond the Biennale
L’Appartement – Espace Images Vevey, on view until November 3, 2024, and Henry Leutwyler’s exhibition at the Swiss Camera Museum until January 19, 2025
Éditions Images Vevey
Participation in the international photography book fair Paris Photo, from November 7 to 10, 2024
L’Appartement – Espace Images Vevey
Opening of the new exhibition session on November 27, 2024
Grand Prix Images Vevey
Starting January 2025: Grand Prix Images Vevey and Images Vevey Book Award
