Artist statement: 

My photographs capture urban life or nature, with formal structures being just as important as the subject itself. Respect for privacy is key. Accordingly human faces are not visible in my images, or only subordinate. I aim to capture the emotions connected with the situation in a different way.

I further strive to create images with emotional ambiguity, where the viewer’s interpretation varies based on his or her personal experiences with comparable situations. My favourite theme is «Solitude», which deals with the two facets of being alone: self-chosen independence and unwanted loneliness.

Authenticity stands above all: the situations are neither arranged nor manipulated or modified by AI. Post-processing is limited to emphasizing the message with basic tools, and there is nothing in my images that was not already on the negative.

The format supports the message. Earlier images use the symmetry of the square format, more recent ones the XPan panoramic format (1:2.7), which shows the subject in its context. I photograph with Hasselblad medium format cameras, today mainly digitally.

My role models are the street photographers of the early 20th century, in particular Brassaï and Fan Ho. For the panoramic format, I am inspired by Kodak’s Coloramas in New York’s Grand Central Terminal. Formally, I love the simplicity of Swiss graphic design. Emotionally, I am influenced by the lyrics of Bob Dylan, Chumbawamba and The Smiths as well as the books of Heinrich Böll and Max Frisch, which create images in my head that I want to capture with my photographs.

Exhibitions:

2027

• Quartieroase Bruderholz, Basel / CH (together with Lettrographs from Onorio Mansutti, January 15 – April 4, 2027)

2026

• Gallery Claude Breutel, Basel / CH (Solo exhibition “Contrastcity”, November 13 – December 24, 2026)

• Marabu, Gelterkinden / CH (“Ghosts of the Woods” together with sculptor Yvonne Reisner, August 14 to 23, 2026)

• photospace, Basel / CH (Group Exhibtion “Waterworlds”, April 17 – May 10 2026)

• Galerie Rathaus Eppingen / Germany (Solo Exhibition “Beings of wood and water”, February 12^th to April 3^rd, 2026)

2025

• Galleria De Marchi, Bologna/I (Group exhibition “Little Treasures” by Trevisan Intl Art, November 22 – December 4, 2025)
• Cantiere Crea Isola Giudecca, Venice/ Italy (Group Exhibition “Static Cinema” by art-icon parallel to Venice Film Biennale, August 29 to September 24, 2025)
• Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester/USA (Group exhibition “15th Annual Photobook Exhibition”, July 3 – September 28, 2025) 
• Off Arles (Group exhibition “Faces” by arti-con, along the Rhone, Arles/F, July 7 – 15, 2025)
• Off Arles, (Group exhibition “Images indociles” by ProfiFoto, Galerie La Grande Vitrine, Arles/F July 7 – 13, 2025) 
• Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken, Basel/CH (Solo exhibition, April 3 to August 13, 2025)
• KOSMOS space, Basel / CH (Group exhibition “Street photography in urban and rural areas”, March 21 to April 13, 2025) 
• photoSCHWEIZ, Zürich/CH (Group exhibition, February 7 – 11, 2025)
• PH21 Gallery, Budapest/Hungary (Group exhibition “Silence”, January 11 – February 4, 2025)

2024   

• Gallery NAT, London/UK (Online Group exhibition “Loneliness and Poetics”, November 18 to December 18 2024)
• Galleria De Marchi, Bologna/I (Group exhibition “Little Treasures” by Trevisan Intl Art, November 30 – December 11, 2024)
• Off Paris Photo: Bastille Design Center, Paris / F (Group exhibition “Corporeality” by art-icon, November 8 – 10, 2024)
• arte Binningen/CH (Group exhibition November 8 – 17, 2024)
• Bellevue Basel/CH (Group exhibition «basel(un)sichtbar”, October 12 – 27, 2024)
• Swiss Art Expo (Group exhibition, Hauptbahnhof Zurich/CH, August 21 – 25, 2024)
• Off Arles (Group exhibition by ProfiFoto “Beneath the surface” Galerie La Grande Vitrine, Arles/F July 1 – 7, 2024) 
• Artexpo Basel (Group exhibition, Euroairport Basel/CH, June 13 – 16, 2024)
• Quartieroase Basel/CH (Solo exhibition “Forms and Figures of New York City” May 3 – June 28, 2024)
• photoSCHWEIZ (Group exhibition, ABB Halle, Zurich/CH, January 12 – 16, 2024)

2023    

• Restaurant zur Mägd, Basel/CH (Solo exhibition « Animal Silhouettes » April 28, 2023)

2022   

• Weinhandlung Ullrich, Basel/CH (Solo exhibition “Mystic Forests” November 4, 2022)
• Restaurant zur Mägd, Basel/CH (Solo exhibition “Basitalia” September 23, 2022)

2004

• clarena, Basel/CH (Solo exhibition “Moods and Fragments” May 15 to December 31, 2004)

Awards

2026: ten “Gold Winners” London Photography Awards

2025: two “Gold Winners”, one “Silver Winner” and two “Bronze Winners” Prix de la Photographie de Paris (PX3), nine “Gold Winners” London Photography Awards

2024: six “Silver Winners” New York Photography Awards, “Best Photography” Award Gallery NAT London (“Loneliness and Poetics” exhibition), “Award of Excellence” Trevisan International Art (“Little Treasures” exhibition), “Silver Winner” Prix de la Photographie de Paris, nine “Silver Winners” Muse Photography Awards, two “Golden Winners” London Photography Awards 

2023: “Gold Winner” Tokyo Foto Awards, six “Silver Winners” New York Photography Awards, 2nd place overall in Books and “Gold Winner” Budapest International Foto Awards, Bronze medal EFFVAS (Switzerland), one “Platinum Winner” and one “Gold Winner” European Photography Awards, seven “Gold Winners” London Photography Awards

2022: two “Gold Winners” European Photography Awards 2022, one “Gold Winner” Budapest International Foto Awards 2022, two “Silver Winners” New York Photography Awards 2022, one Silver Medal Moscow International Foto Awards 2022 and one “Bronze Award” Prix de la Photographie de Paris 2022.

Books

2026: 

“Wald- und Wasserwesen”

2024:

“Solitude: Independence or Loneliness?” (Silver Winner in “Books / Fine Art” in the Prix de la Photographie Paris 2025)

“Reduce to the Max: Award-winning pictures 2021-2023”

2023:

“Forms and Figures of New York City” (2nd place in “Books” and Gold winner in the category “people” in the Budapest International Foto Awards 2023, Gold winner in the category “books – people” in the Tokyo International Foto Awards 2023)

Media

In April 2026 Schwarzweiss Magazine published “Tired Tyres” in the gallery “Surfaces”

In December 2025 Schwarzweiss Magazine published “Beach bird” in the gallery “Out of the Window” as anchor picture

In February 2025 the photo Website fotointern.ch mentioned my series about the 24h of Le Mans as one of the highlights of the group exhibition photoSchweiz 2025 https://www.fotointern.ch/archiv/2025/02/07/20-photoschweiz-2015-standortbestimmung-in-neuem-umfeld/

In December 2024 Schwarzweiss Magazine published “Moorpath” in the gallery “In the moor”

In April 2024 the online magazine Muse posted an interview about my views to AI in photography, , the impact of awards in photo competitions as well as which photographers I admire (Winner Interview NY Photography Awards)

In June 2023 the online magazine Muse posted an Interview about my photographic roots and ambitions (Winner Interview London Photography Awards)

In April 2023, I was invited to create a page of the April issue of the independent cultural magazine “Programmzeitung”.

Contact

info@adrianschaub.com

Aeneas Silvius-strasse 34, 4059 Basel (Switzerland).