JEAN-MARIE REYNIER

I am firmly convinced that in life all we ever do is run away from home. Make a home and run away. Run away and make a home. Leave home, find a home, look for a home, in no particular order. And perhaps we spend our entire lives searching for a room that resembles something we lost too soon. A light. A smell. A voice in the kitchen. A window open in summer. Something we can no longer name, yet stubbornly continue to rebuild elsewhere. In cities, in bodies, in images. Perhaps, then, the best thing in life is to turn into a snail. Or to realise that we are already snails, that we are already home. The problem is that, when we finally realise this, we effectively become runaways in the eyes of others. But, fundamentally, why should the eyes of others matter to us? Because perhaps growing up means precisely this: slowly becoming incomprehensible. Taking the shape of one’s obsessions. Accepting that certain people will always see us as unresolved beings while, for the first time, we are simply trying to inhabit ourselves. To be sea, to be beach. To be the salt left on the skin, the wind that shifts the sand, the dried seaweed on the rocks. To be crab, to be child, to be red bucket, wet swimsuit hung in the sun, to be beneath the beach umbrella. Run away from the beach and find the rock. The motionless rock. The rock that has looked out at the sea for millions of years and may be terribly bored. Rest our skull against it. Sleep inside the rock. Become rock. Then realise that even the rock wears away. That inside stones there are sleeping fish, mothers, boats, cigarettes, empires, teeth, broken plates, starfish and mobile phones. Then the rock turns into a fish. The fish turns into a skull. The skull turns into a camera. Snail skull, home skull, camera obscura skull, Byzantium skull. A beachside Byzantium, full of towels, sun, tiny catastrophes, children crying in the distance, transparent jellyfish, and people desperately searching for something that resembles eternity for at least one afternoon. Because, in the end, perhaps photography is only this: building small rooms for what disappears. Trying to give shelter to apparitions. Holding back, for a few seconds, what time would like to devour immediately. Making rooms for ghosts. Giving a bed to absences. Placing a window inside the skull. Keeping the sound of the sea in a little box. Photographing a hand while knowing that one day that hand will no longer be there. Photographing a face while knowing that it is already changing as we look at it. And perhaps that is why I love fragile images so much. Because they resemble memory. Because they seem to have survived something. Because, deep down, they too have run away from home. And inside this house, never forget to put a thank-you in the right place. In this case, and in this house, there are many thanks. Thanks to the museums, thanks to the place, thanks to the craftspeople, thanks to the care, thanks to the words, thanks to the images, thanks to the first names and surnames, thanks to friends, thanks to future friends, thanks to the suffering they carry with them, thanks to the children, thanks to parents, thanks to family, thanks to the women teachers, thanks to the men teachers. Thanks to everything, except aesthetics. Thanks to love. Thank you.

“Scappato di casa”, Opening speech, 31 May 2026, JMR.

Making roomsfor ghosts

Penser la peur · 37 photographs · 2022 to 2026

Photography is the closest thing to death in life.
View the portfolioContact the studio
A seated figure illuminated by a window in a dark interior
Born 27.08.1983 · Lugano (CH)Lives and works in Perroy · SwitzerlandActive since 1997

Penser la peur · 20 photographs · 2022 to 2026

Making rooms
for ghosts

A photograph holds an instant. The emotional experience that passes through it continues to fade. I photograph to build small rooms for what disappears, to make rooms for ghosts, to shelter apparitions.

Browse the 31 pages
  1. Opening page of Making rooms for ghosts with Jean-Marie Reynier’s handwritten text about the skull as a cinema
    01 / 31
  2. Title page of Faire des chambres pour les fantômes, the French edition of Jean-Marie Reynier’s 2026 portfolio
    02 / 31
  3. The Memory Palace, introductory text to Jean-Marie Reynier’s Penser la peur portfolio
    03 / 31
  4. Les Fascistes, from Penser la peur, 2022, a figure illuminated by a window in a dark interior
    04 / 31
  5. Penser la peur, 2023, a framed image of trees crossed by a green figure
    05 / 31
  6. Penser la peur, 2024, a blurred black and white portrait
    06 / 31
  7. Penser la peur, 2026, a black and white animal skull in a wooden interior
    07 / 31
  8. Contra Ornamenta, 2025, an ornate wooden chair burning outdoors
    08 / 31
  9. Santa Margherita, 2024, a figure beneath a red umbrella beside the sea
    09 / 31
  10. Santa Margherita, 2025, the Bagni Sirena sign facing the sea
    10 / 31
  11. Torino, 2025, a veiled figure walking along a façade in Turin
    11 / 31
  12. Camargue, 1983–2025, a family photograph placed upright in sand by the sea
    12 / 31
  13. Tokyo, 2025, a black and white street scene with a figure beneath an umbrella
    13 / 31
  14. Penser la peur, 2024, a person lying in a wildflower meadow
    14 / 31
  15. A primordial camera obscura, an essay on Jean-Marie Reynier by Francesca Bernasconi
    15 / 31
  16. Penser la peur, 2026, two children walking along a beach beside Lake Geneva
    16 / 31
  17. Pays d’Enhaut, 2026, a low wooden chalet surrounded by a summer meadow
    17 / 31
  18. Pays d’Enhaut, 2026, a veiled figure seated in snow before a chalet
    18 / 31
  19. Léman, 2026, Lake Geneva and the Alps seen beyond cultivated fields
    19 / 31
  20. Penser la peur, Un dimanche, 2023, a blurred colour portrait crossed by red light
    20 / 31
  21. Penser la peur, Enguerrande, 2024, a blurred black and white portrait
    21 / 31
  22. Penser la peur, CHUV, 2024, a shadow seen through a translucent hospital curtain
    22 / 31
  23. Nature morte avec crâne et pichet, a skull and green jug on a pale sofa
    23 / 31
  24. Penser la peur, Enguerrande, 2024, a second blurred black and white portrait
    24 / 31
  25. List of the 20 photographs in Jean-Marie Reynier’s Penser la peur portfolio
    25 / 31
  26. Biography and contact details for Swiss artist and photographer Jean-Marie Reynier
    26 / 31
  27. Scappato di casa exhibition information, Casa Pessina, Musei di Mendrisio, 31 May to 5 July 2026
    27 / 31
  28. Installation view of Scappato di casa at Casa Pessina, Musei di Mendrisio, 2026
    28 / 31
  29. Installation view of framed photographs in Scappato di casa at Casa Pessina, 2026
    29 / 31
  30. Installation view of Scappato di casa with sculpture and photographs at Casa Pessina, 2026
    30 / 31
  31. Installation view of artworks and historic sculpture in Scappato di casa at Casa Pessina, 2026
    31 / 31

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Artist’s text

Why “I Make Rooms for Ghosts”?
ENGLISH · PDF日本語 · PDFITALIANO · PDFFRANÇAIS · PDF

Jean-Marie
Reynier

Portrait of Jean-Marie Reynier in Tokyo, photographed by Naoki Usuda in November 2025
Photo: Naoki Usuda, Tokyo, November 2025

Born in Lugano on 27 August 1983, Jean-Marie Reynier lives and works in Perroy, Switzerland. An artist, curator and publisher, he studied at the CSIA in Lugano, the Atelier de Taille Douce in Saint-Prex and HEAD Genève, in the CCC programme. His work has been shown since 1997 in independent spaces, galleries, museums and institutions in Switzerland and abroad. His works are held in several private and public collections.

Since 2021, photography has occupied the centre of his practice. Penser la peur brings together thousands of images arranged in subchapters around memory, bonds, daily life, illness, disappearance and death. A founding member of Fondation Bugnon, Jean-Marie Reynier served as its president from 2022 to 2025 and now serves as its artistic and executive director. He is also artistic director of Ananké, as well as a publisher and art critic.

Education

HEAD Genève · CCC Diploma (Critical Curatorial Cybermedia)

CSIA · Centro Scolastico per le Industrie Artistiche · Lugano (CH)

Atelier de Taille Douce · Saint-Prex (CH)

Art / Curating
Publishing

Solo and group exhibitions, collections, curatorial projects, publishing and institutional commitments.

ArtSolo exhibitions09
  1. Jean-Marie Reynier, Scappato di CasaCasa Pessina, Musei di Mendrisio · Ligornetto (CH)Curated by Francesca Bernasconi
  2. Jean-Marie Reynier, PolaroidLOWW Gallery · Tokyo (JP)
  3. Tout l’amour que j’ai pour toiAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  4. Lucie · Chambre RoseAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  5. SelfieAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  6. Dans le creux de la mainHEP · Lausanne (CH)
  7. L’écriture de la mémoireGalerie Clément · Vevey (CH)
  8. Terræ IncognitæGalleria Solarte · Massagno (CH)
  9. SpirilliArtelier · Lugano (CH)
ArtGroup exhibitions21
  1. Gaze-Off & Franco MarinottiEspai Souvenir · Barcelona (ES)
  2. Gaze-Off & Franco MarinottiThe Other · Turin (IT)
  3. Back to the FutureAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  4. Gaze-Off & Franco MarinottiThe Phair · Turin (IT)
  5. Gaze-Off & Franco MarinottiMIA Photo Fair · Milan (IT)
  6. Freestyle IIFRIENDS huber.huber · Zurich (CH)
  7. Gaze-Off(un)fair · Milan (IT)
  8. Gaze-OffWopart · Lugano (CH)
  9. Let in the LightAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  10. TortugaAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  11. BoogiemanAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  12. L’été indienAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  13. Très portraitSalon Beauregard · Yverdon (CH)
  14. CollectiveAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  15. Cabinet des intimitésSalon Beauregard · Yverdon (CH)
  16. R.MUTT 2017Skatepark Contemporary · Medellín (CO)
  17. Festival Les UrbainesLausanne (CH)
  18. H1N1MAH · Genève (CH)
  19. Eternal Tour · Roma / MicrosillonsRome (IT)
  20. Prix AAACBiblioteca dei Frati · Lugano (CH)
  21. d’après moiPinacoteca Zürst · Rancate (CH)
CollectionsPublic / Private07
  • Musei di Mendrisio (CH)
  • Collezione Giancarlo e Danna Olgiati · Lugano (CH)
  • Museo di Villa dei Cedri · Bellinzona (CH)
  • Fondazione Asilo Bianco · Ameno (IT)
  • Collezione Repubblica e Cantone Ticino (CH)
  • Collection Pierre et Joëlle Clément · Zug (CH)
  • Collezione delle Fiere di Parma (IT)
Collectif IndigèneSolo exhibitions · 2010 to 201610

Andréanne Oberson & Jean-Marie Reynier

  1. Tout doit disparaîtreMust Gallery · Lugano (CH)
  2. Cabinet des CuriositésForma Art Contemporain · Lausanne (CH)
  3. Massage barbuPLAC / Éditions Notari · Genève (CH)
  4. Il est déconseillé d’enculer les mouches…TMproject · Genève (CH)
  5. La Caraffe d’eau du robinet est à deux eurosLAC · Vevey (CH)
  6. Défense de nourrir les pigeons…Balmelli Gallery · Lugano (CH)
  7. On a (toujours) pas assez de fric pour s’acheter un cheval !Fribourg (CH)
  8. On a pas assez de fric pour s’acheter un cheval !CAN · Neuchâtel (CH)
  9. indigène@Manuel MüllerAperti · Lausanne (CH)
  10. indigène@ozzak.chOzzak · Morges (CH)
Collectif IndigèneGroup exhibitions · 2010 to 201626

Andréanne Oberson & Jean-Marie Reynier

  1. PengéeAbstract · Lausanne (CH)
  2. NAF Napoli Arte FieraMust Gallery · Naples (IT)
  3. S’exposerGalerie Humus / Fête du Slip · Lausanne (CH)
  4. Môtiers Art en plein airMôtiers (CH)
  5. Imago Mundi HelvetiaFondazione Cini · Venezia (IT)
  6. Offerte specialiCarrefour Express · Torino (IT)
  7. Pink Art FairSeoul (KR)
  8. Crash FestArsenic · Lausanne (CH)
  9. La RépubliqueVilla du Parc · Annemasse (FR)
  10. Gesto e PensieroPalazzo Tornielli · Ameno (IT)
  11. TMfairGalerie TM Project · Genève (CH)
  12. Animali domesticiGalleria Eustacchi · Milano (IT)
  13. Back to SchoolELAC · Lausanne (CH)
  14. VIC (Very Important Chairs)Atelier Z · Paris (FR)
  15. Smalltown BoyStudio Cloud 4 · Bologna (IT)
  16. Woopee street artSatellite Brindeau · Le Havre (FR)
  17. Homo Mundus MinorRiss(e) · Varese (IT)
  18. C’est la nuit qu’il est beau de croire à la lumièreFort de Chillon (CH)
  19. Saremo come dei principi sottoterraArspolis · Lugano (CH)
  20. Un air de familleGalerie 12 sur 12 · Genève (CH)
  21. Pre-Post Actions in YouPorn Categories of SexBlissland · Berlin (DE)
  22. Memento moriFestival Electron · Genève (CH)
  23. PerformaFestival Performa · Losone (CH)
  24. Awards YICCA 2010–2011Factory-Art Gallery · Berlin (DE)
  25. Rathania’sMusée Rath · Genève (CH)
  26. RoamingFestival Les Urbaines · MCBA · Lausanne (CH)
CuratingSelected exhibitions23

Independent curator since 2011 · Director, i Sotterranei dell’Arte, Monte Carasso, 2011 to 2012

  1. Aux artistes les brioches (F. Burland)Aarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  2. Aux confins de l’histoire (A. Fischbach)Aarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  3. Aldo Mozzini · Chambre RoseAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  4. e tu splendi invece (Geromini / Fibra Research)Aarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  5. Il n’y a pas d’aurore sans crépuscule (D. Sandoz)Aarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  6. Let in the Light · collective exhibitionAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  7. Sophie Benvenuti & Felix StöckleAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  8. Boogieman · collective exhibitionAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  9. Jacques Chessex, l’œuvre peinteAarlo u Viggo · Buchillon (CH)
  10. Poor PapersMust Gallery · Lugano (CH)
  11. Un’anatomia dell’inconcepibile (G. Carboni)Il Pomo Da Damo · Imola (IT)
  12. C’est la nuit qu’il est beau de croire à la lumièreFort de Chillon (CH)
  13. Exported PapersLAC · Vevey (CH)
  14. Il y a un côté virevolte (C. Bossard)LAC · Vevey (CH)
  15. Goret (M. Benkler)LAC · Vevey (CH)
  16. Après la nuit (Jaquet / Müller)LAC · Vevey (CH)
  17. Capitano coraggioso (L. Schwartz)LAB Comacina · Lugano (CH)
  18. Le tartarughe sono lente e la musica è dolce (A. Laubscher)Fafa · Lugano (CH)
  19. Between dinosaurs and cosmoburgers (Cetusss)Fafa · Lugano (CH)
  20. Una primavera imprevista II (V. Tanzi)Fafa · Lugano (CH)
  21. Saremo come dei principi sottoterraArspolis / E. Cristini · Lugano (CH)
  22. Le Rêve de Diane (F. Sanchez)10/12 · Bruxelles (BE)
  23. Attention sol glissantGalerie Clément · Vevey (CH)
PublishingDirection / Publishing03
  • Ananké · artistic director (since 2024)
  • Éditions du petit O · co-founder & publisher
  • Éditions Notari · contributor
InstitutionalCommitments04
  • Fondation Bugnon · founding member & president · 2022 to 2025
  • Fondation Bugnon · artistic & executive director · since 2025
  • Visarte Tessin · former president
  • Arspolis & Éditions du petit O · former secretary
MediaPress25+

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CONTACT THE STUDIO

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+41 76 357 15 14Instagram · @jeanreynierPerroy · Vaud · Switzerland