May 2006

Artistic biography of Alexandre Plattet

Alexandre Plattet was born on June 5, 1972 in Fribourg, Switzerland. At 11, he became very enthusiastic about drawing because he had a teacher who loved that art. One year later, Alexandre produced his own cartoon strip "L'Affaire de la Joconde" (The Mona Lisa Case). It was a story about the disappearance of the famous painting, which he both wrote and illustrated.

From the age of 13 to 15 he explored the world of computer science and particularly its graphic domain. When he was 17 years old, he had his first experiences in photography and video-making. While studying business at the College of Gambach (Switzerland) from 1991 to 1994, he coproduced various films

In 1995, he directed and produced his first short-feature film "Le Prix d'une Passion" (The Price of an Impulse), the story of a young hooligan who discovers God. This film was selected at the Video World Forum in Köln (Germany) in 1996.

A year later, Alexandre's interest in photography became a passion. Little by little, landscape photography became notably well suited for his rendering of abstract facets of nature. In his artistic search, he often uses water as a vehicle of creation, because it offers endless ways of creating something surprisingly different from what one usually sees in reality. Each shot he takes of nature is a moment of magic, a meeting of Man and his Creator.

In 2002, he held his first exhibition entitled "Eaux et Lumières", meaning "Water and Light", at the gallery of the Museum of Estavayer-le-Lac. The event was very well received by the public and sold twenty-five pictures.

The photographer Raphaël Delaloye from the canton of Wallis wrote the following comment on this exhibition:

"His waters, captured from our rivers or lakes with secret skills born of patience, are unquestionably skylights reflecting calmness. One can hear their whispering and their colors carry us into the realm of pleasant thoughts, of meditation and dreams."

In 2004, Alexandre Plattet is chosen to participate at the International Society of Photographers Annual Convention and Symposium in Washington, D.C., USA.

In January 2006, his new exhibition "Water in colours" went on show at the TM Café in Fribourg (Switzerland). And in April and May 2006, he had the privilege of displaying some of his works at the International Fair for Books, Press and Multimedia in Geneva (Switzerland), as part of the Art Varmès gallery's collection for Europ'Art.

In March and April 2007, at the Art Forum held at the Montreux Congress Centre in Switzerland, he was one of 139 artists from 14 different countries selected from almost 500 candidates to exhibit their work.

Interestingly, Alexandre Plattet never uses a digital camera, nor does he make use of any digital devices to alter his pictures, shown in his exhibitions or sold on his website.

"I work a lot by intuition and faith; the most interesting pictures are often taken in the least expected moments." says Alexandre about his technique.