THE JUNGLE SHOW

The Jungle Show

Created and curated by Yann Gross

When the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana set out on his search for cinnamon in 1541, he could not have known that his travels would take him to the winding bends of the world’s longest river - the Amazon.

Long a witness to evangelisation campaigns, road-building projects and rubber, oil and gold rushes, the area has always aroused greed, competition and fascination. Following in the footsteps of past expeditions, this travel diary’s discreetly staged scenes help to reveal various facets of contemporary Amazonia and the surrounding areas. Working with different local communities allowed me to explore the forest’s complex interactions and mysteries. Once immersed in this domesticated world, you soon forget romantic clichés about forgotten lands and noble savages.

More broadly, this visual roaming challenges the idea of progress and development. (Yann Gross)

Yann Gross

Born 1981, Vevey, Switzerland.

Lives and works in Switzerland and South America. 

After studying at the École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne, Yann Gross lived in several Latin American countries. In his work, he questions the way in which humanity shapes its environment. He regularly collaborates with various communities and is involved in projects such as the creation of an indigenous television channel in Brazil and the construction of a skate park in Uganda. The recipient of numerous awards, including that of the International Festival of Fashion and Photography in Hyères and the Photo Espana Descubrimientos Prize, he has exhibited in such institutions as the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Fotostiftung in Winterthur and FOMU in Antwerp. The recipient of the Dummy Book Award at the Rencontres d’Arles 2015, his The Jungle Book will be released in the summer of 2016.