Smoke (Paperback)

Kris Luedi

ISBN 10: 3907236874 / ISBN 13: 9783907236871

Published by Edition Patrick Frey, Switzerland, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. When the most beautiful cows of the Appenzell villages are crowned in autumn,smoke rises over the festival grounds. On this day, childrenoften still in their earlysingle-digit yearspuff unabashedly on Krumme cigars, or Stumpen as they areknown locally, emblematic representatives of Swiss tobacco culture. They do so notin secret or as an act of rebellion, but in the midst of the village community, which notonly tolerates the tradition but is also the very source of it. It is a gesture ofacknowledgment for the children who take on agricultural work and responsibilitiesfrom an early age.With his work Smoke, artist Kris Luedi approaches the custom from a place ofpersonal memory. As a child, Luedi spent his summers with his grandparents inAppenzell and encountered the local children with the intimidated gaze of an outsiderof the same age. Their nonchalant, down-to-earth manner conveyed a sense ofmeaning that resonated with him, and Smoke is his delayed response to that.The result is a reflection on the progressive and conservative forces of the present,on local customs and cultural practices, and their positioning between tradition andmodernity. Smoke ventures into the very heart of Switzerland. Folkloric traditionbecomes the starting point for a photographic observation that documents realitybut does not claim to be a documentation. Instead, the portraits of smoking childrencreate a space of resonance that extends far beyond the cantons borders. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9783907236871

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Smoke (Paperback)
• Publisher: Edition Patrick Frey, Switzerland
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3907236874
• ISBN 13: 9783907236871
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Documenting the heart of Switzerland, Lüdi’s portraits of smoking children provoke reflection on local customs, tradition and modernity

As the most beautiful cows are paraded through the Appenzell villages, children puff on Krumme cigars―a gesture of acknowledgment from the elders for the youth who take on farm labor from an early age. With Smoke, artist Kris Lüdi (born 1987) approaches this custom from a place of personal memory.

About the Authors

Kris Lüdi (né en 1987 à Zurich) est cinéaste et artiste plasticien. Son travail explore les rituels sociaux, leurs formes esthétiques et leurs dynamiques sous-jacentes. Lüdi s'intéresse à la tension entre les gestes conservateurs et les impulsions progressistes, entre la vérité et l'illusion. À travers des mises en scène cinématographiques, photographiques et des installations, il rend ces contrastes visibles sans les résoudre. Sa pratique évolue librement et sans préjugés entre représentation et présentation.

Kris Lüdi (né en 1987 à Zurich) est cinéaste et artiste plasticien. Son travail explore les rituels sociaux, leurs formes esthétiques et leurs dynamiques sous-jacentes. Lüdi s'intéresse à la tension entre les gestes conservateurs et les impulsions progressistes, entre la vérité et l'illusion. À travers des mises en scène cinématographiques, photographiques et des installations, il rend ces contrastes visibles sans les résoudre. Sa pratique évolue librement et sans préjugés entre représentation et présentation.