Janik Bürgin was born in Basel in 1994 and completed his photography training at the School of Design in Zurich from 2017 to 2020. Since the beginning of his artistic practice, he has been interested in the dialogue between photography and painting. This tension became the focus of his early works K-S and monochrome, not monochrome, which he explored in depth as two independent series.

The idea of creating something that exists only partially in reality—or of transferring perceived reality into a new context through artistic means—fascinated him deeply. His interest was never in mere depiction, but in the shifting of perception: images that hover between visibility and imagination. The exploration of boundaries continues to accompany him today—whether in his artistic practice or in his reflections on universal questions.

Even in institutional exhibitions, he does not only present his photographic works; he actively shapes the entire exhibition space. The walls become part of the work, the boundaries between the photographs and the wall begin to blur, and the exhibition becomes a walk-in installation—an experience that must be felt to understand the impact of the colors in the room. The photographs function as individual puzzle pieces within a larger whole—or more precisely: as elements of a more comprehensive work, namely the exhibition itself.

Although the transformation of the depicted object and the transfer of reality into new contexts were central throughout his first four bodies of work, psychological themes and existential questions gradually moved into the foreground of his creative process. A longing for depth and meaning grew within him—beyond beauty, formal aesthetics, “perfection,” and reproduction.

Themes such as transience and time increasingly became central to his work. He began searching for a form of expression that reflected this inner development. Today, these themes shape both the content and the atmosphere of his works—acting as quiet constants in the background and as open questions in the foreground.

In this process, Bürgin began to manipulate both existing works and new everyday photographic captures during the printing process—by, for example, intentionally “flooding” them with printer ink. The photographically captured moment dissolves and transforms into a new, fluid, almost painterly state. Abstract image spaces emerge in which the original point of reference disappears—comparable to natural cycles in which the old fades and continues to live on in the new.

In a visually oversaturated world, in which we can hardly believe what we see or what is presented to us as reality, Bürgin understands his work as an attempt to create space for slowing down and for not-knowing—a quiet counterform to the constant flood of images and information. For abstraction, as elusive as it may be, never lies.

This engagement with the flow of life now shapes his entire artistic practice.

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Artist Statement "k-s"

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My k-s series is fundamentally rooted in still-life photography. During my training as a photographer, I had the chance to intern with Patrik Fuchs in Zurich, a commercial photographer specialized in still life, which deeply shaped my approach.

 

For this series, I collected everyday materials, mostly plastic bottle caps, and arranged them into compositions in my studio. Much like Whitney Stanley, who transfers his compositions onto canvas, I place my objects on a table or the floor and photograph them, often using manual focus to introduce deliberate blur.

 

Lighting plays a crucial role. By using external flashes or lighting setups, I create depth through shadows and reflections. The colors of the objects blend and merge, producing subtle transitions and a painterly quality.

 

Even during my training from 2017 to 2020, I was more fascinated by abstraction than by sharp, literal photography. I admired the work of artists like Robert Frank or Shirana Shabazi, who challenge the medium and its conventions.

 

For me, the process of questioning photography and transforming everyday objects into something painterly opens up a new context for familiar things. Through composition, light, and intentional blur, I create images that do more than document—they convey emotion and mood. My work exists between photography and painting, inviting the viewer to look closer, to linger, and to create their own associations.

 

Ultimately, I don’t want the audience to just see my work—I want them to feel it.

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Artist Statement "monochrome, not monochrome"

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The unique photographs of the series "monochrome, not monochrome" appear as if everything has dissolved, almost completely - leaving behind only subtle tonal gradations wthin a single hue. The series emerged as a kind of interlude following the successful k-s works. To understand why this development - or rather,  this excursion - into monochramatic expression took place, one must look at the period between late 2022 and early 2023, which ultimately led to a departure from the k-s series. With only thirty works "monochrome, not monochrome" forms a highly reduced body of work.