Man is a demiurge, shaping and transforming nature. The evidence of this asymmetrical relationship runs through the entire history of humankind, yet today it grips us by the throat. It is at the heart of Guillaume Collignon’s work, as shown by the photographs presented here from different series. A surveyor and traveller, Collignon has settled in several countries around the world, observing different landscapes and different ways of relating man and nature, paying particular attention to the mountains that, as a Swiss citizen, he knows well. The Monuments of Madness series, whose title is as good as a programme, is emblematic of his work. In it, ski jumps become icons of a predatory relationship that gives rise to arrogant and absurd constructions. Like the Bergisel ski jump in Innsbruck, renovated at great expense by the starchitect Zaha Hadid and used sporadically by the handful of athletes who practice the sport, its impact on the landscape is particularly striking. As is often the case in his images, Collignon stands back, observing from a distance but with precision. He seems to be outside the world, like a visitor from somewhere else whose neutral gaze is implacable. This position, and the masterful aesthetic of these images, shrouded in mist or drenched in sunlight, with their chimerical colours, make them appear to be on the edge of reality, unbelievable in the truest sense of the word. Disturbing and startling.
Sylvia Dubost – Novo Hors série 21 – Biennale de la photo de Mulhouse 2020 – This is the end.