In the 1980s Jean Paul Gaultier overturned dress codes and showed the porous boundary between masculine and feminine. The fashion designer playfully reversed roles, overturned gender and designed silhouettes that combined masculine sensitivity with feminine power. When they were launched, the brand’s perfume bottles also broke with the androgynous fashion of the 1990s. Now iconic, these served as the starting point for photographic exploration by students of the Bachelor in Photography at ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne. For this research project directed by Florence Tétier and Nicolas Coulomb – under the watchful eye of Claude Emmanuelle Gajan-Maull, consultant LGBTQIA+ – the photography class questioned the human body and its representations. The images created in 2021 by the 12 students relate to themes of pride and tolerance. These works show that commitment to a more inclusive society also relies on images.
A publication, co-edited by ECAL x Jean Paul Gaultier x Novembre and designed by Baptiste Gerbelot Barillon & Jean Marques, is also being published to coincide with this exhibition.
STUDENTS
Dominique Bartels
Julie Corday
Diego Fellmann
Florian Hilt
Samara Krähenbühl
Angèle Marignac-Serra
Lisa Mazenauer
Marvin Merkel
Inès Mermoud
Basil Pérot
Yolane Rais
Camille Spiller
ASSISTANTS
Matthieu Croizier
Antoine Martin
Yul Tomatala
OPENING RECEPTION
Friday 4 February at 6pm
EXHIBITION AT MBAL
From 5 February to 24 April 2022
OPENING HOURS
Mon-Sun, 11am-5pm
First Sunday of the month free
ADDRESS
Rue Marie-Anne-Calame 6, 2400 Le Locle
https://www.mbal.ch
