Behind Closed Doors

Bilderberg. Topography of Power: the Swiss photographer's first institutional solo exhibition draws our attention on the Bilderberg conferences – a highly secretive annual meeting of around 130 of the most influential leaders from politics, industry, finance and the media. Hermetically sealed off from the public, the conference takes place in a different location each year.

In 2013, the photographer approached the conference site just outside of London, deliberately conspicuous and openly shooting with a professional camera. This year, he did the same in Copenhagen, where a luxury hotel was transformed into a locked-down high-security zone that extended from private to public space. The photographer meticulously explored and captured these temporary boundaries in a series of serene, carefully composed images. His presence repeatedly resulted in confrontations with security guards.

For several years, Giacomo Bianchetti (born 1982 in Locarno, lives and works in Lausanne) has explored the controversial theme of international power structures and the actions of large corporations. With an artistic-documentary approach, he investigates the far-reaching effects of economic and political influences, the mechanisms of secrecy, exposure and media control, legal and moral rights in private as well as public spaces, as well as the physical boundaries between the two.

The exhibition comprises around 40 photographs from the series Bilderberg (2014) along with Bianchetti's previous series Can I (2012). A specially developed, interactive tablet-guide enables visitors to access the artist's multi-media works for a deeper insight into the complexity of his chosen theme.

For further information visit Coalmine Winterthur