Portrait of a Swiss Company. A Photo Series by Barbara Davatz

Description

In 1972, photographer Barbara Davatz photographed the entire staff of the company H. Walser, a textile printing and sewing company in Zürchersmühle (AR). She portrayed 38 women and men and recorded each person's name, date of birth, nationality, as well as profession or area of activity. The result is a multifaceted photographic work that, in its calm, unsentimental objectivity, testifies to social engagement, openness, and approachability. Although the series can be read as a reaction to the so-called Schwarzenbach Initiative, the portraits are much more than a snapshot: they have become a striking testimony of a bygone working world and reflect questions of identity, belonging, and humanity that extend beyond their time. The "Portrait of a Swiss Company" is presented alongside the exhibition "Mise en Scène", which shows a different face of the textile industry, the highly staged fashion photography. About the artist Barbara Davatz was active as a professional photographer for 40 years and realized free artistic projects: "photographic series". Her work is characterized by precise observation, conceptual clarity, and a special attention to interpersonal relationships. Among her most well-known works are the photo series "Porträt einer Schweizer Firma", "As Time Goes By", "Beauty lies within", "Doppelgänger", and "Gsüün", in which she explored themes such as identity, change, and social belonging over decades. She also dedicates herself to landscape photography, for example in the series "Himmel und Erde" and "Maigrün", which combine nature observation and subjective perception.