paul clemence takes us on a visual tour through swiss museums during miami art week

SHAPES, RHYTHM, ABSTRACTION: Swiss Museums by Paul Clemence

Architectural photographer Paul Clemence has recently unveiled his latest photo exhibition, SHAPES, RHYTHM, ABSTRACTION: Swiss Museums, at Le Salon Suisse during Miami Art Week 2023. Through a play of textures, patterns, shapes, and light, this photo essay takes us on a visual tour of museums in Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Zurich, and St. Gallen. Designed by renowned architects such as Herzog & de Meuron, Mario Botta, Christ & Gantenbein, Renzo Piano, Aires Mateus, Barozzi Veiga, Shigeru Ban, David Chipperfield Architects, Graber Pulver, and others, these spaces have contributed to the contemporary architectural scene, with their distinct styles. Clemence, reflecting on his decade-long exploration of photographing Swiss museums, mentioned, ‘This exhibit has a full circle feeling for me since I had been photographing Swiss museums for the last 10 years, crisscrossing the country and capturing these amazing structures!’

CERN Science Gateway – Geneva, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, all images by Paul Clemence

a museum façade has an important role, ‘Like a book cover’

Co-curated by Paul Clemence (see more here) and Divine Bonga, curator and producer of the Salon, the exhibition primarily features exterior views of the museums, highlighting unique textures, distinct façade designs, and lighting moments. Clemence explained,‘What a building looks like from the outside is very important. It’s the first impression. And of course, more people will “see” a museum than actually go inside. A museum façade then has an important role. Like a book cover, it’s an opportunity to both make a statement and an invitation to delve inside.’ Employing his signature technique, Clemence printed the black and white portfolio directly onto brushed aluminum.‘The texture of the aluminum adds an interesting materiality to the images; it both enhances the architectonic character of the photos but also rendered them with a certain rough poetic edge,’ he noted.

Debuting during Art Basel Miami Beach week, the exhibition will later travel to New York City in Spring 2024. Alongside the exhibition, the architectural photographer participated in a discussion on museum architecture with industry experts, including architect Emanuel Christ (partner at Christ & Gantenbein Architects), Andy Klemmer (president of Paratus Group), and Donna de Salvo (Special Project Curator at Dia Art Foundation), enriching the experience for visitors.

Museum der Kulturen, Basel, by Herzog de Meuron