VEVEY.- For its 11th exhibition session, L’Appartement brings together James Barnor and Nico Krijno: two artists from the African continent with complementary visions, two countries, two generations, two ways of approaching reality through images. On one side, James Barnor (born in 1929, Ghana) presents a series of images documenting the sociocultural transformations of Ghana and the United Kingdom from the 1950s to today. On the other, Nico Krijno (born in 1981, South Africa) deconstructs traditional photography through an experimental approach, blending digital collages, abstract compositions, and vibrant colors. Between memory and reinvention, this exhibition confronts Barnor’s historical and documentary narration with Krijno’s experimental approach. It highlights how these two artists, each in their own way, contribute to redefining the image of the continent.

James Barnor » Ever Young
9 April – 20 July 2025

James Barnor (born in 1929, Ghana) presents a series of images documenting the sociocultural transformations of Ghana and the United Kingdom from the 1950s to today.

James Barnor occupies Les Chambres with a selection of 80 images tracing his journey between Ghana and the United Kingdom. Each of the three rooms highlights a different aspect of his work.

The first focuses on his early years in Accra, where he captures the political fervor of Ghana on its path to independence in 1957.

The second presents his studio portraits, taken at his first studio, Ever Young, in Jamestown, then in London, and finally at his studio X23 upon his return to Ghana.

The third room explores his years in London, where he documented Swinging London for Drum magazine.

Celebrating a positive and dynamic image of West Africa in a time of emancipation, Barnor was one of the first photographers to use color photography and introduce it to the continent. His work forms a valuable visual archive of diasporic identities in the 20th century.

In collaboration with Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière (Paris)

Nico Krijno »
In the Cave of the Lotus Eater
Collages 2020 – 22
The Mouth of Time
9 April – 20 July 2025

Nico Krijno (born in 1981, South Africa) transforms Le Couloir, Le Salon and Le Cinéma and deconstructs traditional photography through an experimental approach, blending digital collages, abstract compositions, and vibrant colors.

LE COULOIR: Nico Krijno IN THE CAVE OF THE LOTUS EATER

In the Cave of the Lotus Eater is a video capturing a moment of transition: the photographer leaving a place he once called home. Shot spontaneously over 24 hours, this short film explores how each image preserves a fleeting memory before it fades away. Both a tribute to effort, a self-portrait, and a reflection on memory, the work highlights how the landscapes we pass through continue to exist within us, even long after we leave them. Alongside the video, Krijno presents an interactive installation created specifically for L’Appartement: layered prints that visitors are invited to lift, revealing hidden images. This gesture suggests that an image is never fixed but in constant transformation, shaped both by the person who captures it and the one who views it.

LE SALON: Nico Krijno COLLAGES 2020-22

The publication Collages 2020–22 explores Nico Krijno’s work at the intersection of photography, collage, and painting. His approach blends abstract compositions, vibrant colors, and both analog and digital techniques, creating images in constant motion. With its mirrored cover, the book offers a unique visual experience. Each page reveals a new combination of forms and textures, encouraging a nonlinear reading where nothing remains fixed.

Balancing playful spontaneity with obsessive research, Krijno’s creative process resembles an endless game, echoing the spirit of the Dada and Surrealist avant-gardes. Collages 2020–22 provides insight into Krijno’s powerful and intriguing visual universe.

In collaboration with ThirdSpace (Zurich)
Published by Art Paper Editions

LE CINÉMA: Nico Krijno THE MOUTH OF TIME

The Mouth of Time is an immersive short film created specifically for Images Vevey. The film takes the viewer into a space between two worlds, where reality wavers through a play of mise en abyme. Krijno uses mirrors and reflections to distort perception and blur the boundary between the image and its interpretation.
Sequences collide, merge, and fade away, creating an intense visual experience where each image seems to conceal another. What is our relationship to the world and to community in uncertain times? The Mouth of Time is a meditation on the nature of change—an invitation to explore the unknown, not as a loss, but as a space for revelation and inspiration.