Parallel Lines: Urs Stahel

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© Robert Frank. Mabou (pour la fille).

Federica Belli The language of photography is still among the most contemporary ones, notwithstanding the diffusion of digital art and AR. Which factors make photography such a relevant medium in our time?

Urs Stahel That's an interesting question, to which I cannot answer briefly. First of all, I have to dive in the importance of photography in the field of arts. From 1985 to more or less 2007 there has been a huge boom for photography: for the first time, the medium entered museums and the art market. After 150 years of discussion if photographyis an art or not, half an art or nothing at all, it got access to museums quite late. With time, the most important Art Fairs in the world—Art Basel, for instance—started showing a program in which photography was becoming more and more important, to the point that every gallery had to have a photo-based artist or a photographer showing at Art Basel. In 2005, 2006, 2007 photography reached its peak. But then it started to be cut down pretty dramatically: in 2008 photography galleries were 50% less than in 2000, and 2009 saw another reduction of 50%. These days in Basel maybe just 10 galleries out of 300 focus on photography or represent at least one photographer. Another dozen galleries have one or two photographs in their shows, and that's it. I don't mean that photography is not important anymore, but in a sense art moved on. Thus in 2021 we have this interesting situation: photography has finally reached a proper status, it can be shown in museums and it's respected as an art form, yet the applause of that success came a bit late, because the contemporary art field has moved on. And when galleries show photography they often mix it up with video or they show it on a screen; printed artworks are outdated. One could say, Oh, what a shame: a lot of success, but a bit too late. However, parallel to that, photography has developed into what I would define as the strongest language of communication for the entire population.

Generation Z communicates not only with words but rather through photography, so much that Google just declared that, for the first time in history, the image research tool was used more often by placing an image as a research tool than by writing a word. The fact that Google Research now consists of more than 50% image-based research is quite extraordinary, it means that our “language” has started to move on, away from the alphabetic code. It is transitioning towards photo-based images and gifs, and it's something we should urgently talk about.

F.B. I'm quite glad that we talked about it, because I had never seen from such a distance the whole evolution of the process of growth and degrowth of photography. And it's also an issue of accessibility to photography, and how it is shown to the public, rather than to a limited amount of experts. As curator of the majestic Richard Mosse’s exhibition at MAST, you have worked within the spaces of an institution that contributes to the accessible diffusion of art in Italy. It is quite rare to have access to free exhibitions of such quality and comprehensiveness. Which are the reasons behind the proposal of a free exhibition as opposed to a reasonably priced one?

U.S. When you go to the MAST in Bologna, you just leave your name and your email address. Maybe that's what you pay for. Then you visit the exhibitions for free. And not only that, you also get a booklet of 50 pages about the exhibition, attend lectures by artists such as Jeff Wall and Dayanita Singh, or by philosophers and scientists. And after the lecture, if you wish, you just go down one or two floors in the building to get a free dinner after the lecture. So that is, from my point of view, quite unique. Actually, I don't know of any other institution in the world who does this. And we owe this all to the owner of MAST, to Isabella Serágnoli: as her brother died very early, she had to take over the family company which MAST relies on, together with 20 other factories. Currently you find hardly any other illuminated factory owners such as Isabella, who publicly stated that when a company makes a win, part of the win has to go back to the workers and to the public. You cannot make a win in a company without the help of the public, the city, the community and workers. She remains a capitalistic owner of a factory, but she is a capitalistic owner with a strong social responsibility. She deeply believes in that. So the Fondazione MAST, which is divided in two parts—you could say 50% is dedicated to her workers, their schooling rooms for permanent education and 50% is dedicated to the public, with all the exhibition spaces, the cafeteria, the auditorium etc.—is actually the strongest visual expression for that. She wants to make not only an exhibition program, but also a lecture program and a film program, which is accessible to the public. For me, this is absolutely unique. And while this might sound like a PR talk, I'm honestly deeply impressed.

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© Alessandra Spranzi

F.B. I had no idea there was such a strong belief behind MAST, which makes it even more unique. Visiting the Fondazione, the visitor realizes he's being respected as a visitor and as an intelligent human. And a relevant part of it consists of curation. When curating exhibitions directed to a wide audience as in the case of renowned private institutions and museums, how do you ensure that the poetic and the beliefs of a mature artist are comprehensively translated for the understanding of the audience?

U.S. It's an interesting question, and not so easy to answer. I try to find, without any compromise, an interesting way of making this artwork visible to the public. And while people who are used to look at art admire this, feeling immediately that there is a specific strength in the way these works are installed, a lot of people have no experience in visiting art exhibitions. That means these people allow themselves to come, maybe they usually don't go to art museums, but they notice we show photography and just try it out. Thus, we then add possibilities to inform yourself, such as the booklet one gets for free. Therefore, there is not only about an introduction text, but rather about texts in the exhibition guiding you and tour guidesintroducing to MAST. You can follow them or decide not to, still we offer a mediation of the work so that everyone who has an interest to go there has a chance to really experience the work, how it is shown and what is the sense behind it. Specifically, in the case of powerful artists such as Richard Mosse, Thomas Struth or Dayanita Singh for example, it's important to give justice to the work and show it in a way the artist actually wants to. But then you also have a responsibility to mediate the work so that it is understandable and accessible. I think we should open up contemporary art in that way. Contemporary art is such a closed elite circle and behaves a little bit like a secret society, while art should allow people to enter the field and to start thinking creatively. Otherwise, it makes sense for the selected few only, not for the rest of the world.

F.B. After all, art is supposed to be something that allows for the exploration and expression of what we are as beings. I would now turn to your editing role, which is fundamental in the growth of the work of a photographer as well. Having worked alongside some of the greatest contemporary artists, you have witnessed the most innovative yet coherent visual languages of our time. Before the work of emerging photographers, how do you assess whether the visual experimentation contributes and enhances their message or whether it is a divertissement in and of itself?

U.S. I have made mistakes in my choices, though never dramatic ones. I have not always been so successful in picking exactly the emerging artists to make a group exhibition. There are a lot of different reasons why a career doesn't really work. But you're touching in a super important point: how do you get to the right artists? How do you get to the artists whose work shows a glimpse of something interesting? It applies both to emerging young artists and to artists who have their own career already. And maybe to famous artists as well: one can be famous in the art market and still not be such an interesting artist. In fact, the field of art and the art market are two different worlds. The art market is the economization, the commodification of art, a scene which has often not really anything to do with art apart from that it makes a lot of people live in that field. First of all, I believe in artists rather than in one group of images. I try to follow artists in what they do. However, our time has become so fast-paced that one has to hurry up to make a decision if there is a chance the artist is good. Otherwise, other curators might take over. And quite often, speeding up is not good for the quality of a work. If art does still play a specific and relevant role in our society, then it should be the art scene where there is the most radical, the most open minded thinking.

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© Hans Danuser. IN VIVO, ChemielVI1.

F.B. You touched upon so many interesting and vital points. The curve of growth and degrowth of artists has sped up to a point that it's impossible to properly follow it. At the same time, it is a relevant issue from the artists’ point of view: you start working in the industry, selling work, and at times it grows so fast that it can be scary. Editing the work of a photographer requires a deep mutual understanding and respect. In the case of emerging artists, who often are still refining their language and their aim, how largely should the editor guide the process as opposed to merely supporting the direction of the photographer?

U.S. As a curator, you cannot always perform the same role. You have to adjust to the situation. Specifically, when curating other art forms than photography, you know that every work is done with the idea that at one point it is supposed to be shown in an exhibition. So, the work itself is drowned in the fact that the artist wants at one point to show this art. Photography behaves differently: many photographers go on research and photograph extensively. And maybe, in the end, they would rather make a book out of it, or maybe they want it published in a magazine. Maybe they have never thought that this work will be shown as an exhibition. So, I often have to guide the photographer very strongly, compensating for the lack of an idea about the exhibition development. At times the photography is fantastic, the attitude is enthusiastic, yet there is no know-how regarding how to show the work in an exhibition. When I, on the other hand, work with someone who has a very strong idea of how to make an exhibition –let’s say Roni Horn– , that it's the exact opposite. I then register how the artist wants to plan the exhibition and allow myself to criticise from time to time. So, in these cases, it's a dialogue between two people who both have a strong experience in realizing works in a spatial situation, which is a completely different situa2on than having a couple of images printed on a magazine or even making a book. So as a curator, you have to adjust, to adapt to the situations and play a slightly different role every time. You always play it out of your knowledge, out of your experience, but youplay with a different attitude and a curious eye.

Based in Zurich, Urs Stahel works as Photography Curator and Advisor for the collection of Fondazione MAST in Bologna. With a formation in literature, linguistics, philosophy and history, he soon transitioned to art and then photography. Cofounder of the Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland, which he then ran for 20 years, he has now left the museum to work as an independent curator, writer, lecturer and advisor in the field of photography. As writer, he has published about 60 books over the course of his life. To learn more about Urs Stahel, you can view his website here.