Upon Onda

The idea of bringing together recent works by the Geneva-based artist Yvan Alvarez and the American photographer Dylan Hausthor stems more from an intuition, a desire to discover the dialogue that might emerge between them, and to verify if the perceived affinities in their approaches could materialize, rather than from a rigid assembly guided by a firmly established theme or aesthetic. At first glance, what unites them seems tenuous. There is, of course, photography, a medium at the heart of their respective practices, to which they both seem to return tirelessly despite their frequent forays into other forms of expression, from text to installation, and from video to sculpture. A few recurring motifs too, like a crashed car and satellite dishes, but their recurrence could be coincidental. But there is also in their work a form of reticence, a reluctance to say too much, to let themselves be too clearly defined by a statement or approach, and to solidify the meaning of their works. A form of withdrawal, perhaps, a tendency to take a step aside when things become too clear. A desire for fluidity of meaning, for agile transitions between mediums and image regimes. Very deliberate and precise choices, yet deliberately giving an impression of lightness, almost suggesting that each work could ultimately be the product of a fortuitous chance. Finally, they both seem to share a commitment to working with what is in front of them, to capturing through photography, objects found in the street or animals caught in the forest. Both artists operate within an affirmed economy of means, favoring what is found, whose status is uncertain and transitory – and thus still holds all possibilities. It is also a way of sidestepping, of speaking only indirectly of oneself, of suggesting fiction when the work is, above all, about an intimate relationship with the world. Bringing them together in an exhibition allows us, without artificially merging their practices, to find fluid connections between their two worlds, each highlighting in the other the common characteristics that tend not to reveal themselves at first glance.