As is generally known, Baden is not exactly considered a hotspot of Zurich’s cultural scene. And yet, with Galerie 94 – in addition to the old town, which is always worthwhile, by the way – there is a cultural space that, thanks to its busy owner Sascha Laue, always manages to exhibit visual artists who are well worth a visit. This certainly includes Jean-Marc Yersin with his impressive photo exhibition “Vestiges” (Traces).
Motorway Pierrelatte, under the TGV bridge, 2018. Picture JM Yersin
Jean-Marc Yersin, former co-director of the Swiss Camera Museum, started out as a professional photographer. Since 2018, he has returned to his first passion, continuing a cycle of images that inspired him thirty years earlier. He frames motorway constructions, factories and mining structures in black and white.
Oberwangen, Carriere Weibel, 2014. Picture JM Yersin.
The compositions are geometric, contrasting and sharp. The photographs show the conflict between the built environment and the landscapes of the Lake Geneva region, the Rhône and the Alps. They also project themselves imaginatively into the future. This is what Jean-Marc Yersin believes the great engineering structures and industrial architecture will look like in a few decades. This inventory of a territory in the making is magnified by the photographer’s rigorous eye and his art of printing. Above all, Yersin’s ability to compose, with which he skilfully captures the subjects of his photographs, is impressive.
Noville, Grand Canal, 2019. Picture JM Yersin
The result is photographs under tension. The inventory of a territory in the making is magnified by the photographer’s rigorous eye and his art of printing. Between scouting and preparatory sketches, Jean-Marc Yersin prepares his photographs with care. He uses a 24 x 36 digital camera, most recently a Leica M10-R, and frames the rectangular images into a square format beforehand. With the help of decentering lenses or perspective control software, he corrects distortions, takes care of the verticals and establishes the correct horizon. Jean-Marc Yersin’s pictures are as well constructed as his subjects.
Val de Bagne, Louvie dam, 2015. Picture JM Yersin
Practical information
The exhibition “Vestiges” in the Galerie 94 by Jean-Marc Yersin will run until 18 March 2023.
Artist Talk
Saturday, 4 March 2023, 3 pm
Finissage
Saturday, 18 March 2023, 1 to 5 p.m.
Opening hours
Wednesday to Friday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. / Saturday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. or by arrangement
