Galerie 94: Light, Time and the Art of Looking
There are galleries that exhibit art. And then there are places that change the way we see. Galerie 94 in Baden belongs firmly to the latter. Housed within the former Merker shipping building, the gallery combines industrial architecture with photographic art in a way that feels both understated and compelling. Works that invite reflection rather than demand attention.
Behind the gallery is Sascha Laue, a long-standing advocate for photography. Having already shaped the Swiss photography scene with the original Photogalerie 94 during the 1990s, he returned in 2015 with a renewed vision: to present photography not as part of the endless stream of images that defines contemporary life, but as a medium for observation, reflection, and dialogue.
That philosophy continues to define the gallery’s programme today. Galerie 94 is one of the few institutions in Switzerland dedicated exclusively to photography and remains the only gallery of its kind in the Canton of Aargau. International positions meet Swiss perspectives, documentary approaches intersect with artistic experimentation. What matters here is not the prominence of a name, but the strength of a photographic voice.
In May and June 2026, Galerie 94 presents the work of photographer Sandro Livio Straube. With Unsortiert – An Open Archive, 2009–2026, Straube explores an approach that deliberately resists the polished perfection of carefully curated image worlds. Rather than presenting a finished series, the exhibition unfolds as an open archive of fragments, observations, and photographs created over the course of seventeen years. It invites visitors to reconsider images and reflect on the relationship between memory and reality.
Alongside its exhibition programme, Galerie 94 also represents international artists such as Nigerian photographer Rob Omodiagbe. His compelling portraits combine contemporary African visual culture with a distinctive photographic language, adding an international perspective to the gallery‘s programme.
Represented by Galerie 94, Rob Omodiagbe is also exhibited internationally through galleries including Light Works in Sydney. His portraits explore identity, fashion, and contemporary African visual culture.
Looking ahead, Galerie 94 will open a new double exhibition on 8 October 2026, featuring Swiss-American artist Chrissy Angliker alongside Russian-born photographer George Mayer, who is now based in the United States. Angliker returns to the gallery for her sixth exhibition, following two solo shows that sold out within a remarkably short time. George Mayer will be presented in Switzerland for the first time and is represented exclusively by Galerie 94.
Galerie 94 reminds us that seeing is more than consuming images. It is an act of attention. Through its participation in Photo Basel 2026, the gallery also contributed to the international dialogue surrounding contemporary photography.
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