Paul Mpagi Sepuya's Swiss Exhibition Explores Queer Photography and Intimacy

Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland is presenting the first major Swiss solo exhibition of American artist Paul Mpagi Sepuya (born 1982), running until June 14. The exhibition, titled 'Focus. Desire.', features a comprehensive collection of early and recent photographic works alongside archival materials from the artist's personal collection. Sepuya is recognized for intimate studio portraits that examine queer Black identity through a distinctive visual language that blurs boundaries between exposure and concealment. His practice emphasizes the constructed nature of photography, often incorporating cameras, tripods, and lighting equipment within the frame to reveal the image-making process. He avoids post-production alterations, capturing each photograph as a single exposure during carefully orchestrated studio sessions. The exhibition explores how Sepuya's studio functions as both a creative workspace and a social environment for queer communities, challenging traditional power dynamics between photographer and subject. A significant portion of the show investigates the darkroom as both a technical space and a metaphorical site for marginalized queer experiences and desires. Through fragmented bodies, obscured faces, and layered compositions, Sepuya questions historical visibility and representation while redefining contemporary portraiture.