G. Ruiz
Biel, Switzerland
2015
Pages 672
21 x 14 cm.
Cover
Hardback - Cloth
Binding
Sewn Bound
Process
Offset Printed
Color
Black-and-White, Color
Edition Size
500
-
The idea of this Encyclopaedia comes from Guadalupe Ruiz’s interest in photography books published in the Thirties and Forties and also from my desire to share the photos she produces. For this reason Ruiz decided to create her own book, not only to produce the images she needs, but also to learn printing the book herself.
KLEINE FOTOENZYKLOPÄDIE (small photo Encyclopaedia) corresponds to the iconographic research she did during her artist’s residencies and travels in 2014 and 2015. Each place of residence (Genoa, New York, Detroit, Bogota, Tirana, Mexico, Chicago) gave Ruiz the inspiration to develop her project and collect images of different themes. As a photographer she wants to document and to offer a unique vision of a place, an object, a building or a person. This collection of 645 photographs is arranged in 37 chapters, among which are: WOLKENKRATZER (skyscraper) BLUMEN AUS KOLUMBIEN (flowers of Colombia), GEGESTÄNDE AUS DER ELTERLICHENWOHNUNG (decorative objects from the house of her parents), PATISSERIEN AUS CHINATOWN (cakes from Chinatown), MAIS- UND KARTOFFELSORTEN (varieties of corn and potatoes), WEIHNACHTEN IN NEW YORK (christmas in New York)…
Since Ruiz moved with her partner in a building of a former offset printing company in Biel, she was struck by the idea to learn everything about offset printing. The former owner taught them the whole process within 2 months, to be able to print the entire book themselves.
Born in 1978 in Bogota, Colombia, Guadalupe Ruiz moved to Switzerland in 1996 with art studies in mind. She studies photography at the ECAL in Lausanne and the HGKZ in Zürich. In 2004 and 2005, she twice won the renowned price Kiefer Hablitzel. More recently in 2009 and 2011 her work has been recognized by the city of Zürich and awarded a study journey in San Francisco and Genova.