Image: Photo Elysée, Lausanne ; Bulent Kilic Press03 1 scaled
Alfredo Jaar is a Chilean artist, architect and filmmaker who lives and works in Lisbon after spending more than 40 years in New York. He is known for culturally, politically and socially committed work, and his 1994 journey to Rwanda to witness the genocide firsthand radically changed his life and artistic practice.
‘Inferno & Paradiso’ is an immersive slide-projection exhibition created by Jaar. For the project, he selected 20 contemporary reportage photographers and asked each to choose two images from their archives: the most painful photograph they had taken and the most hopeful one. The exhibition presents 40 photographs documenting crises and human experiences across locations including Ukraine, Gaza, Argentina, New York, the Congo and the Philippines. The photographers selected by Jaar capture both crises afflicting society and the joy and happiness inherent in the world.
Visitors enter a darkened room where the images are projected in 20-minute cycles. The images relating to heaven are shown simultaneously, followed by the images relating to hell, with visitors experiencing each theme for 20 minutes at a time.
The immersive experience confronts visitors with the emotions elicited by images of joy and pain. It embodies Jaar’s contention that photography has not lost its impact in today’s image-saturated society. First shown in Cortona in 2025, the exhibition reflects Jaar’s wider interest in the political and social consequences of capitalism and globalization, as well as the power of photography and media. It also delivers a look at photography’s and the media’s role in contemporary society and the responsibility held by those pulling the levers.
