Four artists - four concepts
NZZ Neue Zuger Zeitung, 16.01.2016 / Text; Andreas Fässler Picture; Pit Buehler
Photo16, the annual exhibition of works by around 150 artists, starts today in Zurich. The canton of Zug is represented by four participants. Their works are as fascinating as they are individual.
Photo Schweiz is the largest exhibition of Swiss photography. Every year, around 150 photographers from Switzerland and abroad exhibit their work and concepts from the fields of press, advertising and art in the Maag Hall in Zurich, covering an area of over 3,500 square meters. Participants are free to choose whether they opt for commissioned work or free concepts - which, however, must not be older than one year. The participants will be selected from all entries by a board of trustees. Pholo16 opens its doors today at 11 a.m., and thousands of visitors will come to see the exhibitors' presentations during the five days of the exhibition - around 23,000 visitors last year. Three female photographers and one male photographer from the canton of Zug are taking part in this year's major Swiss exhibition.
Celebrated Bolshoi greats
Pit Bühler had to go to great logistical lengths for his project. In May 2015, after lengthy negotiations, Steinhäuser was granted permission to photograph the stars of the world-famous ballet ensemble at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow - during their breaks in a performance of «Don Quixote». He only had a very small tent at his disposal to achieve the desired aesthetics and tranquillity. The dancers stepped off the stage directly in front of Pit Bühler's camera, he told them what he wanted and photographed them. «I immediately realized what highly professional people they were,» the photographer recalls of this collaboration. «I already had the picture in my head, I wanted to photograph the actors in a certain pose and take the pace out of the action. I freeze the marquee for a moment in the photographs before they rush back on stage for their next performance.» In other words, the viewer has little idea of the hectic pace of the photo shoot. Pit Bühler's motivation for this elaborate art project was his interest in aesthetics and beauty. «And I also know what a tremendous amount of discipline and suffering is behind the careers of these highly acclaimed dancers. It's fascinating.» At Photo16, Pit Bühler will be showing five large-format images from this series from the Bolshoi Theater on a dedicated exhibition wall. The dancers and performers depicted in the various poses all radiate immense grace in their own way. www.blackocean.ch
