Inferno & Paradiso: Photographers' Most Painful and Hopeful Images
Alfredo Jaar, a socially active artist, curated the immersive slide-projection exhibition Inferno & Paradiso at Photo Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, running until November 1, 2026. Twenty reportage photojournalists each selected two images: their most distressing photograph and one representing joy and hope. The 40 photographs document crises in Ukraine, Argentina, Gaza, New York, the Congo, and the Philippines, alongside moments of resilience. Visitors enter a darkened room where images are projected in 20-minute cycles, alternating between hope and suffering. The exhibition challenges viewer numbness, emphasizing how anonymous figures in images can obscure individual stories.
Key facts
- Alfredo Jaar curated Inferno & Paradiso.
- 20 photojournalists each chose two images.
- Exhibition runs at Photo Elysée until November 1, 2026.
- 40 photographs are projected in 20-minute cycles.
- Crises documented include Ukraine, Argentina, Gaza, New York, Congo, Philippines.
- Jaar is considered one of the most socially active artists of his generation.
- Exhibition challenges numbness to suffering images.
- Photo Elysée is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Entities
Artists
- Alfredo Jaar
- Anastasia Taylor-Lind
- Véronique De Viguerie
- Hannah Reyes Morales
- Johanna-Maria Fritz
- Bülent Kılıç
- Lindokuhle Sobekwa
Institutions
- Photo Elysée
- PetaPixel
Locations
- Lausanne
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- Argentina
- Gaza
- New York
- Congo
- Philippines