The Right to Look

The politics of seeing and being seen, looking and being looked at, of being recognised and acknowledged are always related to power interests that shape our social reality. In the photographic image, a multitude of gazes not only encounter each other, but are never neutral: Technical specifications of the camera, (socio-)cultural frames and the mentalities of the photographers and viewers, but also institutions and corporations control and filter what can be seen and the value assigned to it – and what, in turn, must remain hidden. Under the influence of algorithms and networked image practices, the dynamics of the visible are once again shifting. SITUATIONS/The Right to Look presents artistic, cultural and curatorial strategies that reveal, critically question, thwart and re-occupy the power dynamics of the gaze.

With works by Baltensperger + Siepert, Leonore Mau, Ana Teresa Vicente, Coralie Vogelaar and Guanyu Xu.

Kindly supported by Verein Fotomuseum Winterthur.