Jiajia Zhang Wins Photography Prize on the Theme »Switzerland 2084«

Contemporary photography can open up new perspectives and challenge our understanding of reality. Current global crises and issues, as well as the innovative potential of technological developments, inspired the theme Switzerland 2084 for the fifth edition of the Art Vontobel Contemporary Photography Prize »A New Gaze«. Forty-five Swiss and international artists living in Switzerland were invited by a jury of experts to submit projects. The jury for »A New Gaze 5« consists of Georgina Casparis, Head & Curator at Art Vontobel, Zurich; Shirana Shahbazi, artist and winner of the Prix Meret Oppenheim, Zurich; and Danaé Panchaud, curator and director of the Centre de la photographie Genève. Awarded every two years, the prize is accompanied by a cash award of 20,000 Swiss francs and a solo exhibition with an accompanying catalog, and is considered a springboard for young and emerging talents in the field of contemporary photography. This year’s winner is Zurich-based artist Jiajia Zhang (born in 1981 in Hefei, China); her solo exhibition will be on view from June 5 through August 31 at Bank Vontobel AG in Zurich.

Zhang impressed the jury with her project And in 2084, You Are 62, a glimpse into the future addressed to her daughter, in which she combines personal and collective experiences of a possible reality of life in Switzerland: her own visual material meets references to Swiss everyday culture and historical allusions in spatial arrangements. At the center of her installation is a mirrored video chamber. In this immersive space, moving images unfold in conjunction with a text by British philosopher and author Sadie Plant, speculating on the Switzerland of the future. Through this nuanced perspective, the work invites viewers to reflect on the contribution of the seemingly ordinary and everyday to social transformation.

Jiajia Zhang works in the fields of photography, video, and installation. Her practice frequently incorporates visual material found online and explores how intimacy, authorship, and the increasing blurring of the lines between the private and the public are shaped by the influence of social media and contemporary internet culture. Zhang studied architecture at ETH Zurich, photography at the International Center of Photography in New York City, and art at ZHdK in Zurich. Her first solo exhibition in the U.S., titled Domestic News, is currently on view at the Swiss Institute in New York through July 5.