René Burri, the explosion of vision
"It was a very interesting blend of a somewhat formal, highly graphic image. Yet, at the same time, very human." - Bruno Barbey
Article published on 21.01.2020
In late 2012, the book In Jesus' Name was banned by the Zurich district court. After exploring politics and economics in Protokoll (2007) and Tropical Gift (2010), Christian Lutz (CH, 1973) turns his attention to religion. For the final chapter of his trilogy on power, the photographer immersed himself for over a year in the evangelical movement International Christian Fellowship (ICF). He spent time within this community, meeting its members and explaining his project and his work.
No sooner was In Jesus' Name in bookstores than it faced legal action: 21 people appearing in the book filed complaints for image rights violations. The case caused a major stir. The exhibition Trilogie, including all three parts, went ahead as planned in early 2013 at Photo Elysée. With graphic designer Pablo Lavalley, Christian Lutz devised a concept for presenting the images from In Jesus' Name: faces were covered with a black band bearing the complaint. In April 2013, In Jesus' Name was permanently withdrawn from sale.
Today, In Jesus' Name (resurrected), published by Éditions Patrick Frey, revisits the case, juxtaposing the series' photographs with the content of the complaints. By revealing the plaintiffs' claims and the responses from the author's lawyer, the book exposes the underlying unease. This case remains, to this day, one of the rare instances of photobook censorship in Switzerland.
In Jesus’ Name (resurrected) est disponible à la librairie du musée.
