Didier Ruef (born 1961) is a Swiss documentary photographer best known for his portrayal of man and waste, recycle and sustainability,[1][2][3] Africa,[4][5] man and animals,[6][7] Swiss alpine farmers[8][9] and contemporary Switzerland.[10]
In 1985, Ruef went to New York, where he obtained a diploma (1986) in
photojournalism at the
International Center of Photography (ICP). It was there that he developed his long-term essay of the life of a Puerto Rican family in
Spanish Harlem, for which he won the Yann Geoffroy Prize in Milan in 1990. These photographs were exhibited at the
Musée de l'Élysée in
Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1990.
Since returning to Switzerland in 1987, Ruef started to work as a freelance
documentaryphotographer and
photojournalist and has visited all five continents, with a preference for
Africa. He has worked on various stories on the human condition in black & white and color.
Ruef was a member of Network Photographers Agency in London from 1991 to 1997. He was a founding member in September 2002 of the Swiss photo agency, Pixsil, which he left in July 2009. Today he works as a freelance photographer,[11][12] but he is also represented worldwide by the photo agencies Luz Photo Agency,[13] Visum Foto[14][15][16] and Redux Pictures.[17][18]
Ruef's pictures are published in numerous magazines and newspapers in Europe,[23][24] Asia[25] and Northern America.[26][18]
He won the King Albert Memorial Foundation Prize[27] in 2000 for his book on Swiss mountain farmers (Bauern am Berg, Paysans de nos montagnes, Vita di montagna). This award, among other prizes, was the culmination of a long-term personal project which began in 1993 and completed in 1997. It was made possible with the support of
Pro Helvetia for the photography and book in 1998, and an itinerant exhibition which toured Switzerland, Italy, Singapore and Jordan between 1999 and 2002.
In 2000 and 2001, Ruef was commissioned by the Swiss branch of
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for an extensive photographic report on daily life in six African countries. These pictures, together with those from numerous other African essays form the basis of a book Afrique Noire,[28][29][30] published in 2005. An itinerant exhibition toured Switzerland and France between 2005 and 2007.
In 2007, he was commissioned by the Swiss Foundation DiDé, Dignité en Détention, for a book Enfants Prisonniers[31] on the minors' jail in
Gitarama, Rwanda.
From 1991 to 2011, he has also been involved in a personal project worldwide on the relationship between Man and Waste. He has shot twenty photo essays and has finally published in 2011 the book Recycle,[32][33] Labor et Fides (French-English) and Edizioni Casagrande (Italian-German). In 2018, he has published the book Homo Helveticus[34] by Till Schaap Edition on his beloved country Switzerland.
In 2021, he has published the book 2020.[35] by Till Schaap Edition in which he shot a picture a day - 366 images - during the entire 2020 year.
Awards
Swiss Press Photo 21. Third prize for the Swiss Stories.[36] 2021
Rwanda. Minors in detention.[82] LuganoPhotosDays.[83] October 17–26. Lugano. Switzerland.
2015
Sonntag Nachmittag in der Schweiz.[84][85] Seebad Seewesen. Switzerland.
Recycled. Villa Dutoit. Geneva. Switzerland.
2016
Révélations. Photographies à Genève.[86] Musée Rath. Geneva. Switzerland.
2017
Sulle vie dell'illuminazione Il mito dell'India nella cultura occidentale 1808–2017.[87][88] MASI Lugano. Switzerland.
2019
Homo Helveticus.[89][90] Umweltfotofestival Horizonte Zingst. Germany.
Lectures
7 October 2021. "2020". Musée de l'appareil photographique, Vevey (in French).[91] Musée de l'appareil photographique, Vevey. Switzerland.
1 October 2021. "2020". Photobastei (in German).[92] Photobastei Zürich, Switzerland.
30 September 2021. "2020". BelleVue - Ort for Fotografie (in English).[93] Basel, Switzerland.
15 June 2019. "Homo Helveticus". Carona Immagina (in Italian).[94] Ticino, Switzerland.
30 May 2019. "Homo Helveticus". Umweltfotofestival Horizonte Zingst (in German).[90] Germany.
13 April 2019. "Recycle". Festival dell’Ambiente e della sostenibilità (in Italian).[95][96] Verdi Theatre. Milan. Italy.
11 April 2019. "Homo Helveticus". (in French).[97][98] Société de Lecture. Geneva, Switzerland..
29 March 2019. "Reporters Unplugged". Festival Histoire et Cité. Uni Dufour, salle U600 (in French).[99] Geneva. Switzerland.
12 December 2018. "Vita di Montagna". Festival letterario "Leggere le Montagne" (in Italian).[100] Verdi Theatre. Milan. Italy.
12 November 2018. "Sostenibilità nel prisma della fotografia". Università degli studi di Milano (in Italian).[101][102][103] Milan. Italy.
21 September 2016. "Sostenibilità e fotografia" with Roberto Antonini[104] (RSI journalist). LuganoPhotoDays (in Italian).[105] Lugano. Switzerland.
31 October 2015. "Recycle". Villa Dutoit (in French). Geneva. Switzerland.
16 October 2013. "Recycle". LuganoPhotoDays (in Italian).[106] Lugano. Switzerland.
27 October 2012. "Fotogiornalismo oggi". Museo Casa Cavalier Pellanda (in Italian). Biasca. Switzerland.
3 April 2012. "Recycle". Société de lecture (in French). Geneva. Switzerland.
26 October 2011. "Recycle". International Center of Photography (in English). New York City. USA
6 October 2011. "Recycle". Lecture for the participants of Unigestion Client conference (in English). Unigestion is a leading independent asset manager. Vevey. Switzerland
7 May 2011. "Recycle". Chiasso Letteraria (in Italian).[50] Galleria Cons Arc. Switzerland.
5 April 2011. "The meaning of photography today" (in German). Canon Switzerland. "Händler Schulung Programm". Zürich. Switzerland.
22 and 29 September 2010. "A personal view on being a photographer" (in French). Canon Switzerland. "Creative Days Lausanne and Geneva". Switzerland.
Workshops
2018
Albania. Travel workshop.[107][108] May 19–27. Albania.
L'art de l'editing photographique. Leica Akademie Switzerland. Humanit’Art gallery.[109][110][111] September 1. Geneva. Switzerland.
Italy. Apulia and Matera. Travel workshop.[112][113] December 5–9. Italy.
2017
Master Class at "Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad".[114][115] April 26–27. Novi Sad. Serbia.
2016
LuganoPhotosDays. "Visual Storytelling. The art of reportage".[116] November 12–13. Lugano. Switzerland.
2015
Master Class at "MAZ".[117][118] March 2–6. Five days. Luzern. Switzerland.
2014
Fotofestival Horizonte Zings. "Fotografie mit einem Augenzwinkern".[119][77][120][121] May 28–29. Zingst. Germany.
LuganoPhotosDays. "Documentary Photography: Just be yourself."[83][122][123] October 18–19/25-26. Four days. Lugano. Switzerland.
2013
LuganoPhotosDays.[79][124] October 12–17. Five days. Lugano. Switzerland.
2005
University of Tulsa. "Photojournalism" October 2005. Three days. University of Tulsa. Photo department. Oklahoma. USA.
CEPV. "Photojournalism". Spring 2005. Five days. Centre d’Enseignement Professionel Vevey (CEPV). Switzerland
2002
Amman."Photojournalism". One day at The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts Amman. Jordan.
On the Paths of Enlightenment The myth of India in Western Culture 1808-2017. MASI Lugano. Skira. Italy. 2017.
ISBN978-88-572-3666-7[87][129]
Sulle vie dell'illuminazione Il mito dell'India nella cultura occidentale 1808-2017. MASI Lugano. Skira. Italy. 2017.
ISBN978-88-572-3665-0[130][131][132]
Didier Ruef (born 1961) is a Swiss documentary photographer best known for his portrayal of man and waste, recycle and sustainability,[1][2][3] Africa,[4][5] man and animals,[6][7] Swiss alpine farmers[8][9] and contemporary Switzerland.[10]
In 1985, Ruef went to New York, where he obtained a diploma (1986) in
photojournalism at the
International Center of Photography (ICP). It was there that he developed his long-term essay of the life of a Puerto Rican family in
Spanish Harlem, for which he won the Yann Geoffroy Prize in Milan in 1990. These photographs were exhibited at the
Musée de l'Élysée in
Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1990.
Since returning to Switzerland in 1987, Ruef started to work as a freelance
documentaryphotographer and
photojournalist and has visited all five continents, with a preference for
Africa. He has worked on various stories on the human condition in black & white and color.
Ruef was a member of Network Photographers Agency in London from 1991 to 1997. He was a founding member in September 2002 of the Swiss photo agency, Pixsil, which he left in July 2009. Today he works as a freelance photographer,[11][12] but he is also represented worldwide by the photo agencies Luz Photo Agency,[13] Visum Foto[14][15][16] and Redux Pictures.[17][18]
Ruef's pictures are published in numerous magazines and newspapers in Europe,[23][24] Asia[25] and Northern America.[26][18]
He won the King Albert Memorial Foundation Prize[27] in 2000 for his book on Swiss mountain farmers (Bauern am Berg, Paysans de nos montagnes, Vita di montagna). This award, among other prizes, was the culmination of a long-term personal project which began in 1993 and completed in 1997. It was made possible with the support of
Pro Helvetia for the photography and book in 1998, and an itinerant exhibition which toured Switzerland, Italy, Singapore and Jordan between 1999 and 2002.
In 2000 and 2001, Ruef was commissioned by the Swiss branch of
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for an extensive photographic report on daily life in six African countries. These pictures, together with those from numerous other African essays form the basis of a book Afrique Noire,[28][29][30] published in 2005. An itinerant exhibition toured Switzerland and France between 2005 and 2007.
In 2007, he was commissioned by the Swiss Foundation DiDé, Dignité en Détention, for a book Enfants Prisonniers[31] on the minors' jail in
Gitarama, Rwanda.
From 1991 to 2011, he has also been involved in a personal project worldwide on the relationship between Man and Waste. He has shot twenty photo essays and has finally published in 2011 the book Recycle,[32][33] Labor et Fides (French-English) and Edizioni Casagrande (Italian-German). In 2018, he has published the book Homo Helveticus[34] by Till Schaap Edition on his beloved country Switzerland.
In 2021, he has published the book 2020.[35] by Till Schaap Edition in which he shot a picture a day - 366 images - during the entire 2020 year.
Awards
Swiss Press Photo 21. Third prize for the Swiss Stories.[36] 2021
Rwanda. Minors in detention.[82] LuganoPhotosDays.[83] October 17–26. Lugano. Switzerland.
2015
Sonntag Nachmittag in der Schweiz.[84][85] Seebad Seewesen. Switzerland.
Recycled. Villa Dutoit. Geneva. Switzerland.
2016
Révélations. Photographies à Genève.[86] Musée Rath. Geneva. Switzerland.
2017
Sulle vie dell'illuminazione Il mito dell'India nella cultura occidentale 1808–2017.[87][88] MASI Lugano. Switzerland.
2019
Homo Helveticus.[89][90] Umweltfotofestival Horizonte Zingst. Germany.
Lectures
7 October 2021. "2020". Musée de l'appareil photographique, Vevey (in French).[91] Musée de l'appareil photographique, Vevey. Switzerland.
1 October 2021. "2020". Photobastei (in German).[92] Photobastei Zürich, Switzerland.
30 September 2021. "2020". BelleVue - Ort for Fotografie (in English).[93] Basel, Switzerland.
15 June 2019. "Homo Helveticus". Carona Immagina (in Italian).[94] Ticino, Switzerland.
30 May 2019. "Homo Helveticus". Umweltfotofestival Horizonte Zingst (in German).[90] Germany.
13 April 2019. "Recycle". Festival dell’Ambiente e della sostenibilità (in Italian).[95][96] Verdi Theatre. Milan. Italy.
11 April 2019. "Homo Helveticus". (in French).[97][98] Société de Lecture. Geneva, Switzerland..
29 March 2019. "Reporters Unplugged". Festival Histoire et Cité. Uni Dufour, salle U600 (in French).[99] Geneva. Switzerland.
12 December 2018. "Vita di Montagna". Festival letterario "Leggere le Montagne" (in Italian).[100] Verdi Theatre. Milan. Italy.
12 November 2018. "Sostenibilità nel prisma della fotografia". Università degli studi di Milano (in Italian).[101][102][103] Milan. Italy.
21 September 2016. "Sostenibilità e fotografia" with Roberto Antonini[104] (RSI journalist). LuganoPhotoDays (in Italian).[105] Lugano. Switzerland.
31 October 2015. "Recycle". Villa Dutoit (in French). Geneva. Switzerland.
16 October 2013. "Recycle". LuganoPhotoDays (in Italian).[106] Lugano. Switzerland.
27 October 2012. "Fotogiornalismo oggi". Museo Casa Cavalier Pellanda (in Italian). Biasca. Switzerland.
3 April 2012. "Recycle". Société de lecture (in French). Geneva. Switzerland.
26 October 2011. "Recycle". International Center of Photography (in English). New York City. USA
6 October 2011. "Recycle". Lecture for the participants of Unigestion Client conference (in English). Unigestion is a leading independent asset manager. Vevey. Switzerland
7 May 2011. "Recycle". Chiasso Letteraria (in Italian).[50] Galleria Cons Arc. Switzerland.
5 April 2011. "The meaning of photography today" (in German). Canon Switzerland. "Händler Schulung Programm". Zürich. Switzerland.
22 and 29 September 2010. "A personal view on being a photographer" (in French). Canon Switzerland. "Creative Days Lausanne and Geneva". Switzerland.
Workshops
2018
Albania. Travel workshop.[107][108] May 19–27. Albania.
L'art de l'editing photographique. Leica Akademie Switzerland. Humanit’Art gallery.[109][110][111] September 1. Geneva. Switzerland.
Italy. Apulia and Matera. Travel workshop.[112][113] December 5–9. Italy.
2017
Master Class at "Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad".[114][115] April 26–27. Novi Sad. Serbia.
2016
LuganoPhotosDays. "Visual Storytelling. The art of reportage".[116] November 12–13. Lugano. Switzerland.
2015
Master Class at "MAZ".[117][118] March 2–6. Five days. Luzern. Switzerland.
2014
Fotofestival Horizonte Zings. "Fotografie mit einem Augenzwinkern".[119][77][120][121] May 28–29. Zingst. Germany.
LuganoPhotosDays. "Documentary Photography: Just be yourself."[83][122][123] October 18–19/25-26. Four days. Lugano. Switzerland.
2013
LuganoPhotosDays.[79][124] October 12–17. Five days. Lugano. Switzerland.
2005
University of Tulsa. "Photojournalism" October 2005. Three days. University of Tulsa. Photo department. Oklahoma. USA.
CEPV. "Photojournalism". Spring 2005. Five days. Centre d’Enseignement Professionel Vevey (CEPV). Switzerland
2002
Amman."Photojournalism". One day at The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts Amman. Jordan.
On the Paths of Enlightenment The myth of India in Western Culture 1808-2017. MASI Lugano. Skira. Italy. 2017.
ISBN978-88-572-3666-7[87][129]
Sulle vie dell'illuminazione Il mito dell'India nella cultura occidentale 1808-2017. MASI Lugano. Skira. Italy. 2017.
ISBN978-88-572-3665-0[130][131][132]