Harry Gruyaert and Werner Jeker's exhibitions in Turin for summer 2026
CAMERA - Italian Center for Photography inaugurates summer 2026 with two exhibitions dedicated to Harry Gruyaert and Werner Jeker. The exhibitions, curated by the new artistic director François Hébel, can be visited from 18 June to 4 October at the headquarters in Via delle Rosine 18, in the center of Turin.
The program brings together two different visual languages: the color photography of the Belgian master Harry Gruyaert and the posters in which the Swiss graphic designer Werner Jeker blends images and typography. A double appointment that enriches Turin's cultural offer and can be included in an itinerary through the city's museums, architecture and historic residences.
Harry Gruyaert and color photography
"Harry Gruyaert. Retrospective" is the first major Italian exhibition dedicated to the Belgian photographer, born in 1941 and a member of Magnum Photos. Gruyaert was one of the first European authors to use color not only to describe reality, but as a creative, emotional and perceptual element.
The path follows his research chronologically, starting with the series "TV Shots", made in London in 1972. By manipulating the antenna of his television, the photographer transformed programs, sporting events and images of the first steps on the Moon into abstract compositions influenced by Pop Art.
The following sections cross Belgium and France, and then reach Morocco, a decisive place in the formation of his language. The intense light, architecture, shadows and colors of the North African country accompanied Gruyaert on new trips to Egypt, India, Spain and Turkey.
The exhibition also presents images taken in mines, steel plants, pharmaceutical laboratories and nuclear power plants, where machinery and industrial surfaces become almost abstract geometric compositions. Another nucleus compares the artificial colors of the United States with the atmospheres of post-Soviet Russia.
Particularly related to the theme of travel are the sections dedicated to coasts and airports. In the images of the coasts, Gruyaert reduces the landscape to its essential elements: sky, sand, sea and horizon. Light and chromatic variations thus transform familiar places into minimal and suspended scenarios.
In airports, on the other hand, the author observes waiting rooms, windows, reflections and transparencies. Artificial light and the passage of Travellers allow him to build geometric compositions crossed by clear colours and fleeting presences. Transit spaces, often perceived as anonymous, acquire a new visual intensity.
From 30 September to 4 October 2026, CAMERA also offers the masterclass "The Geometry of Colour", led directly by Harry Gruyaert. The course is intended for photographers interested in developing a personal project and strengthening their authorial identity. Registrations are open until 10 September, with an early bird rate by 30 July.
Werner Jeker's photo posters
In the Project Room, "Werner Jeker. Photo Typo" presents about 70 posters selected from the more than 800 created by the Swiss graphic designer during his career. The exhibition was specially designed for CAMERA and is being presented in this form for the first time.
In Jeker's works, photography and typography are not separate elements, but parts of a unified composition. The images maintain their documentary strength, while characters and texts amplify their meaning. The result goes beyond the informative function of the poster and becomes an autonomous graphic work.
The selection includes projects created for exhibitions, theatrical performances, film festivals and cultural events. On the occasion of the exhibition, a volume published by Dario Cimorelli Editore is also published, dedicated to the relationship between photography and typography in Jeker's work.
