«Positive Illusions» by Benjamin Freedman

To highlight the various facets and artists of Art Vontobel the Collection, we regularly present changing exhibitions at Vontobel's headquarters in Zurich. Positive Illusions, which opened at the beginning of October, highlights the work of Benjamin Freedman, a young Canadian artist whose work was recently added to the Collection. In this context, we cordially invite you to our upcoming artist talk on November 15 between Freedman and Marco De Mutiis, Digital Curator of the Fotomuseum Winterthur. Discover how a new generation of contemporary artists is challenging the conventional limits of photography, pushing the medium into new and unexpected territories, and gain insights into the exhibition and his practice using the latest technologies.

Venue

Foyer and Auditorium, Vontobel, Gotthardstrasse 43, 8002 Zürich

Program

12:00	Welcome Drink
12:30	Welcome Address	Georgina Casparis, Head & Curator, Art Vontobel
12:35	Artist Talk	«Positive Illusions» Ben Freedman, Artist Marco De Mutiis, Digital Curator at Fotomuseum Winterthur
13:30	Flying Lunch
14:30	End of the event

To attend this talk, please register by November 8th, 2024:

Attend the event

About

Benjamin Freedman

Benjamin Freedman (*1990, Canada) is a visual artist, based in Toronto, whose work spans sculpture, video, and photography. His practice frequently revisits and interrogates complex historical narratives through thorough research and analysis. He views photographic research as a form of pseudo-archaeology, where reinterpretation and disruption can lead to meaningful, restorative insights. By questioning the relative truths and illusions within photography, Freedman intentionally incorporates visual styles from genres like science fiction and horror to create expansive documentary projects. In 2015, he self-published his debut photography book, and he has exhibited widely in the Toronto area, including at Pumice Raft Gallery, Stephen Bulger Gallery, Ryerson Image Centre, 8eleven Gallery, Art Gallery of Mississauga, and Division Gallery. Internationally, his work has also been featured at the Aperture Foundation in New York City.

Marco De Mutiis

Marco De Mutiis is a Digital Curator at Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland where he leads the museum research on algorithmic and networked forms of vision and image-making. He leads and co-curates different projects and platforms expanding the role and the space of the museum. These include the collaborative live stream programme Screen Walks (developed and co-curated with Jon Uriarte, curator of digital programmes at The Photographers’ Gallery in London), as well as Fotomuseum’s current experimental platform [permanent beta] The Lure of the Image.

He is a researcher and doctoral candidate at the Centre for the Study of the Networked Image at South Bank University where he focuses on the relationship between computer games and photography. He co-curated with Matteo Bittanti the group exhibition How to Win at Photography – Image-making as Play, exploring the photographic act through the act of play and the notion of games. He has written, edited and contributed to several publications, including the recent book Screen Images – In-Game Photography, Screenshot, Screencast (co-edited with Winfried Gerling and Sebastian Möring). He lectures and teaches regularly in different institutions and schools, including Master Photography at ECAL and Camera Arts at Lucerne University of Applied Arts and Design.