SIYU personal

The Lausanne-born photographer (1989) graduated with honours from the photography school in Vevey (CEPV) in 2012. Piguet has been running her own business in Grandavaux, near Lausanne, since 2013. She works on commercial projects in the fashion and advertising sectors as well as on artistic projects. Piguet is also a part-time assistant at the "Photo Elysée" museum in Lausanne

To date, the photographer has received numerous awards, including the second prize of the Swiss Young Photographer Award and a selection by MAGNUM Photos, and has participated in over forty solo and group exhibitions in Switzerland, France, Croatia, Spain, Germany and the USA. Her first monograph "Dark Glow" was published by "l'Âge d'Homme" in 2014. Piguet has been a member of the "Espace Artistes Femmes" association as an artist since autumn 2020 and Vice President since 2023.

Can you tell us the most important inspirations for your projects? Aesthetically, I am inspired by "cinematic" photography and painting, especially the Baroque and Romantic movements. I like to talk about human things, especially the duality between shadow and light and the desire to emphasise the strange.

How do you go about it? I create a sketch, construct costumes and accessories and then work in the studio with artificial light. That's where I put everything together. In post-production, I refine the image to a smooth, almost three-dimensional finish.

Why did you become a photographer? I felt the need to create and was inspired by photographers like Erwin Olaf and Gregory Crewdson. I was attracted to the technical and precise side of photography.

Can you tell us about the current retrospective of your work? The exhibition "Altérités" at "La Vidondée" shows almost my entire artistic production of the last ten years.

Do you have a favourite project and if so, which one? The "Funeral" series is long-term and grows with me. Each character has its own story and identity.

What did the vfg "Prize for Young Photographers" do for you? The second prize enabled me to have my first exhibition. I also received valuable advice from other photographers.

What advice would you give to young photographers? Define your photographic "signature" and be honest and sensitive about your own work.

How do you see the future of photography? It has an important place in our society, but it needs to reinvent itself to some extent.

How should a professional association like SIYU address the future development of the photography profession? SIYU should represent the interests of photographers and promote the exchange of experiences.

Can you say something about the picture published here? It is an image from my project "Parasomnia", which deals with the topic of sleep paralysis - a sleep disorder in which sufferers lie awake in bed without being able to move - and the connection to nature. It summarises my photographic approach well and plays with different levels of reading.