EN ROUTE TO (26.01.12)

What's an online log for? Especially when you got only a couple of visitors a day... Since I'm a bit bored in my hotel room in Dubai. Since they did give me my entry visa (hurray)!!! And since I really cannot post-produce all the pics I still have to deliver, without any breaks... And since the bunch of people who cares back home are expecting a bit of sharing of this experience... I'm now deciding to bring Retangolo back to life. It's also time to turn a page and start from blank, in terms of photography. It's a time for thinking :)))

I have been through all this here in Dubai two months ago. I was much more stressed. I wasn't shure to get my entry visa (wich I wans't this time neither) and most of all my head was full of all the imagery from Afghanistan. I went basically for a workshop to some "com" people of the ICRC in Mazar-I-Sharif. A great occasion for seeing my good friend Pablo in his element. Doing his important job at the International Red Cross. Last time everything was organized. Flights. Jeeps. Accomodation. A dream experience!
I discovered Afghanistan beeing another victim of our medial distortions and remembered a contact in Kabul, a person gave me back in Palestine a couple of years ago as I was volunteering as a photo teacher (awesome period. some of my best souvenirs ever). So during a short stay in Kabul I visited this centre and proposed to come back and work with some kids on photography, multimedia and storytelling. As it often is... without really understanding how... tomorrow by this time I'll be in Kabul meeting everyone at the Afghan MMCC... I'm really excited. It's going to be a great experience. And I will put all my energy in working with the kids and of course... I need to produce a good project for myself. Wich means putting a lot of pressure on myself.
Now back to postproduction so that tomorrow I can send everything from post office here before taking off... I'm very very excited. Happy :)

GALERIE FOCALE NYON (04.09.11)

At the Galerie Focale in Nyon prints from my palestinian project where exhibited during the last three months. An experience I shared thanks to photographer Xavier Voirol, then with photographer François Shaer and awesome bw printer Aurelien Garzarolli at ACTINIC (Geneva). Revisiting the entire production for a (not even that)new editing, and the night hours inside the empty gallery (with wine and cheese) for discussing the hanging sequences, were great and precious moments, I was longing for since long.  Discovering your own work with new eyes is incredible and when you go woow unpacking the prints it's just magic. Digital files become images... become real. 

Then all those people being so into the stuff you are telling, about the reality in the camp. Having the chance to tell what you have experienced and what happened after you left. Really impressive. The feedbacks in the press, beeing interviewed and so on... Hoping a message gets along. Then selling prints. Seeing your work published. Seeing that it makes sense almost also in an economic way.  It's really great and I am very thankful to the people who gave me this chance... Now what's next?

www.focale.ch

www.actinic.ch

www.francoisschaer.com

www.xaviervoirol.ch

SWISS PRESS PHOTO (14.04.11)

At the Landesmuseum Zürich this years, by a jury awarded, swiss photojournalists work, to be seen in the exhibition "Swiss Press Photo 11". From the 6th of may until the 17th of july 2011. Opening ceremony 05.05 at 6pm.

Reto is proud his photo "Israeli soldier surrounded by palestinian women photographers" has been awarded the second prize n the category "World"!

Bravo to my friends: Christin Lutz for his big first place! To Jacek Pulawski for a 2nd a 3d place in the categories "arts" and "portait". To Patrick Gilliéron Lopreno for beeing selected for the cataolgue. As well as to my ex collegues at Tipress: Samuel Golay (1st prize news!) and Gabriele Putzu (sport).

Landesmuseum (HERE)

HOLYLAND - HOLLAND (22.01.11)

It is really just thanks to Aglaia that our common exhibition about the experience in the palestinian West Bank now will travel to the Netherlands! And we are really happy about it, specially because the curators are really great people and the space is beautiful.  For a moment I thought maybe Holland really comes from Holy Land... but no! It's the "holt" land (wood land).

link to the gallery (HERE)
link to Aglaia Haritz (HERE)
link to the related post (HERE)

PHOTO10 WERKSCHAU ZURICH (07.01.11)

A selection of Reto's portraits of palestinian ex fighters of the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades in Jenin, is to be seen during " photo10 - Die Werkschau der Schweizer Fotografie" held in Zurich (CH) from the 7th until the 11th of january 2010.

A special multimedia exhibition for Médecins Sans Frontières "Starved for Attention" by the VII photo agency and a "masterclass and talk" with James Nachtwey, on saturday the 8th, are expected, among other events of the photoforum related to photo10. 

more infos (HERE)

BI7: VII BIENNALE DELL' IMMAGINE CHIASSO (27.11.10)

Reto is happy to announce that his series of portraits of palestinian ex fighters of the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades in Jenin, is to be seen, among the remarkable works of collegues, at the seventh  international biennale of photography held in Chiasso (CH). The opening ceremony at "Spazio Officina" will be on saturday the 27th at 6.30 pm.

visit the official biennale website (HERE)

WORKSHOP (13.11.2010)

After my volunteering experience I found teaching is not only fun but truly interesting. I may be only a young photographer but I discovered having allready things to give and exchange with people willing to learn. So this is my very first professional workshop, about portrait. I was invited by the photo club Lugano (CH) and I am shure we are going to have a lot of fun sharing our passion.

It's funny since I also started giving some classes (not as volunteer, wich is an extraordinary evolution) to differently abled kids. I never thought teaching or working with classes could be so great. Me and teaching? I would haved laughed some years ago :)

TERRA SANTA (08.09.10)

Toghether with Aglaia, we are since long working on the exhibtion to be: "Holy Land" (original italian "Terra Santa").  As you can imagine the recent, second, longer stay in the Palestinian Occupied Territories heavily still influences our production and every day life. My pictures will be veeery classic - but in contrapposition with, some other, veeery conceptual photography.  Exploring new ways of telling the same old story! 

And of course Aglaia's feminine techniques will melt with the manly way (as she, ironically, defines) of perceiving the world through lense and technologies. It will happen in the swiss-italian canton Ticino... The flyer up here is again roughly designed by me. I'm happy with it... Now: to your agendas! See you there!

about Aglaia (here)

about a past common project (here)
infos about the gallery (here)

AMNESTY (02.08.10)

Reto in collaboration with "Amnesty International" will be at La Rotonda del Festival, Locarno. Projections of his latest reportage in the Palestinian West Bank will be shown on the 11th and 14th of august at 9 pm.

Italian article (here) and (here)

CANADA (04.07.10)

Reto's pictures "Swiss Army" are part of the "International Arts Festival" in Montréal, Canada. From the 1st of July 2010, for one month. At the Écomusée du fier monde.

The official website of the event (here)
German article (here)
The shown pictures (here)
About it in the local press (here)

EWZ SELECTION (15.02.10)

Reto is very happy to announce that the photo series "Berlin: the Death Strip Now" has been selected for this years Swiss Photo Award - ewz Selection.

You all are warmly welcome to the opening of the exhibition in Zürich 07.05.10.

As originally published on BAZ-online (here)

Photographer's choice sent to competition (here)

German article (here)     Italian article (here)