Renowned for photographs of the female body that counter stereotypical views of feminine beauty, Simond will show a new ensemble of videos and photos that introduce music into her work for the first time. The exhibition’s centrepiece is a diptych combining video and still photography, in a visual and sound dialogue between two young women who have never met in person: a young Ukrainian dancer and an Irish harpist.Focusing on intimate close-up, off-kilter snapshots, Simond finds nuances in fleeting gestures and facial expressions These become the focus of mysterious, closely cropped images that invite the viewer into the scene, exploring the theme of human connection. The work, which combines Simond’s images with footage by the two young women, whom she asked to film themselves inspired by her approach, also speaks to ideas of staging and performance, improvisation and chance.
This new project is a prolongation of the artist’s first book, Rayon Vert (2018) – the title, which evokes Éric Rohmer’s 1986 film, based on Jules Verne’s eponymous 1882 novel, refers to an optical phenomenon known as the green ray – an unexpected flash of colour on the horizon at twilight, believed to bring a moment of clarity for those who see it, but which in reality, is far more elusive.
The exhibition will also include a new series of short films made in collaboration with a French musician in an empty space who seems to appear and disappear, creating a ghostly presence.
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After studying aesthetics and film theory at the University of Lausanne, Senta Simond received a Master’s degree in Photography at ECAL in Lausanne, Switzerland. A finalist for the Aperture/Paris Photo book award, she was also selected for the British Journal of Photography ‘Ones to watch’, Foam Talent and Swiss Design Awards. Her work has been in solo shows at Foam Museum, Danziger Gallery (New York) and Webber (New York/London), and in group shows in Tokyo, London, Bienne, and Basel. She is represented by Webber (New York/London).
Simond has also been working as a fashion photographer since 2018. Born in Geneva, she lives and works in Paris.
© Senta Simond, 2023
