Olivier Gschwend
I was born in Switzerland in 1982. I followed a scientific education and became a researcher in neuroscience. In parallel, I have always explored artistic expression, from drawings to graffiti passing by dancing. In 2008, I started photography and focused on this medium.
As far as I can remember, I have always been interested in the emergence of consciousness. Though neuroscience is a way to study it, it isn't always sufficient. Although it is done outside of the lab environment, part of my photography work tends to question concepts that neuroscience fails sometimes to rationalize fully: identity, beliefs, introspection, memory or ego.
Few years ago, I started to take advantage of my daily research to explore the imagery and esthetics of neuroscience outcomes. Following this idea, I try to explore the convergence of scientific and artistic gait by mixing different photographic, digital, sound and plastic media.
EXHIBITIONS
2019
– Collective exhibition, Les Boutographies, Montpellier, France
2018
– Collective exhibition, 200 pictures for the Aquarius, LargeNetwork gallery, Geneva, Switzerland
2016
– Solo exhibition, « Psylocibe cubensis », FOOUND, Geneva, Switzerland
– Collective exhibition, « Psylocibe cubensis », OSLO 8, Basel, Switzerland
– Collective exhibition, « Psylocibe cubensis », Uno Art Space, Stuttgart, Germany
2015
– Collective exhibition, « Psylocibe cubensis », ECAL Lausanne, Switzerland
– Collective exhibition, « Psylocibe cubensis », F+F Zürich, Switzerland
– Collective exhibition, « Psylocibe cubensis », JUNGKUNST Winterthur, Switzerland
– Collective exhibition, « Catachrèse », Belfast Photo Fringe Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland
– Collective exhibition, « Catachrèse », Exposure Award, Le Louvre, Paris, France
2014
– Collective exhibition, « Herding chimeras, Catachrèse », Darb 1718, Contemporary Art & Culture Center, Cairo, Egypt
2012
– Collective exhibition, « Was bleibt übrig von Glücksbärchi », Artung! Wunderbar, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
PUBLICATIONS
2019
– « Psylocibe cubensis», Absorption, YourDailyPhotograph.com
2018
– « Psylocibe cubensis», From NE with Love, QG book
2017
– « Reductio ad absurdum », Météore n°2, www.journalmeteore.ch.
2016
– « Reductio ad absurdum », éditions Doussomssine, doussomssine.ch.
2015
– « Psylocibe cubensis», VFG catalogue
– « Catachrèse», Exposure Award book
– « Reductio ad absurdum », Ithaque n°5, www.itha.ch.
AWARDS
2018
– Final selection, Les Boutographies photographe festival.
2016
– « Catachrèse », shortlisted, Athen Photo Festival.
2015
– « Catachrèse », shortlisted, Exposure Award
– « Psylocibe cubensis », final selection, 19th VFG contest for photography young talents
– « Catachrèse », final selection, Belfast Photo Fringe Festival, Belfast
2014
– « Catachrèse » and « Reductio ad absurdum », shortlisted, 18th VFG contest for photography young talents
2013
– Chaikonibo, shortlisted, 17th VFG contest for photography young talents