Alfredo Jaar, Inferno & Paradiso at Photo Elysée
Published on 08/27/2026 at 13:01 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Alfredo Jaar is on view in Lausanne with Inferno & Paradiso. Photo Elysée says the installation presents 40 photographs by 20 reportage photographers selected by Jaar, and the show runs from June 26 to November 1, 2026. Photo Elysée exhibition page
Lausanne puts photography first
Inferno & Paradiso uses a darkened room and 20-minute projection cycles to stage images in two parts, one for heaven and one for hell. That structure keeps Jaar's political method intact: he frames photography as a field of emotion, power, and responsibility.
The exhibition first appeared in Cortona in 2025 and was co-produced with On The Move for the Cortona On The Move festival. Photo Elysée positions the project as a direct response to an image-saturated present.
Why Jaar still matters
Jaar's biography places him in the center of late 20th-century political art, with appearances at Venice in 1986, 2007, 2009, and 2013, plus Documenta in Kassel in 1987 and 2002. His practice spans photography, film, architecture, and public interventions.
The same biography lists major collections including MoMA, the Guggenheim, Tate, Centre Pompidou, Nationalgalerie Berlin, Stedelijk, and M+, which underlines how broadly his work circulates in public institutions.
More news and background on Alfredo Jaar
Follow Alfredo Jaar's exhibitions, museum appearances, and major projects in one place.
The work core
Jaar works across installation, photography, and public intervention, often using documentary material to expose systems of violence and visibility. Inferno & Paradiso continues that line by treating photographs as evidence, testimony, and image-making at once.
What comes next
Alfredo Jaar currently has no announced new date within the 30-day window beyond the ongoing Photo Elysée exhibition.
Key facts on Alfredo Jaar
- Artist: Alfredo Jaar
- Medium / Genre: Installation, photography, film, public intervention
- Born: 1956, Santiago, Chile
- Place(s) of practice: Lisbon
- Active since: 1970s
- Key work groups: A Logo for America, Real Pictures, Rwanda Project, The End of the World
- Current/last exhibition: Inferno & Paradiso, Photo Elysée, Lausanne, June 26 - November 1, 2026
- Major collections: MoMA, Guggenheim, Tate, Centre Pompidou, Nationalgalerie Berlin, Stedelijk, M+, MASP
- Awards: Guggenheim Fellow (1985), MacArthur Fellow (2000), Hiroshima Art Prize (2018), Hasselblad Award (2020), IV Albert Camus Mediterranean Prize (2024), Edward MacDowell Medal (2025), Prix Pictet (2025)
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Alfredo Jaar
Where is Alfredo Jaar currently on view?
He is on view at Photo Elysée in Lausanne with Inferno & Paradiso, which runs from June 26 to November 1, 2026.
What is Alfredo Jaar's current exhibition about?
The show brings together 40 photographs by 20 photographers and projects them in alternating heaven-and-hell cycles.
Which collections hold Alfredo Jaar's work?
His biography names MoMA, the Guggenheim, Tate, Centre Pompidou, Nationalgalerie Berlin, Stedelijk, M+, and other major institutions.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
