It’s been a week since Photo Schweiz 26, and I’m still processing all the moments.
For years, I told myself that one day I would be there, showing my work. When I finally applied and got accepted, it didn’t feel real at first. Standing there, surrounded by so many talented photographers, was truly an honor.
There are a few special people I want to thank.
@ondru.studios Parti, you’ve always had my back, no matter what.
Sugu @whereissugu , my brother, we know the darkness, and we always find our way out of it together.
And dear @tallolaahh there are no coincidences. Our paths crossed for a reason. You showed me where to go with the camera, how to level up, how to see differently.
I feel like I’ve got my mojo back.
And I’m hungry for more.
👐🏾
Shot on
Leica M6
35mm 1.4 summilux
28mm 2.8 elmarit
@leica_camera_schweiz
Sonderausstellung
Jayanthan Sivanathan
Jayanthan Sivanathan richtet in seinen fotografischen Arbeiten den Blick auf alltägliche Szenen aus dem tamilisch-schweizerischen Lebensumfeld und entfaltet daraus persönliche Erzählungen, die einen sensiblen Einblick in individuelle Erfahrungen ermöglichen.
Aktuell zu sehen an der photoSCHWEIZ 2026.
photoSCHWEIZ
Fr 06. - Di 10.02.2026
Kongresshaus Zürich
www.photo-schweiz.ch
#photoschweiz #photography #exhibition
The perspective of others:
The Tamil diaspora in Switzerland
I‘m showing at photoSCHWEIZ 26, My works depict moments from everyday Tamil-Swiss life, captured from my own experience. Each image tells a personal story. A glimpse through a window into what seems normal to us, yet whose beauty we often overlook. In addition, I show objects that Tamil refugees carried with them on their journey. traces of memory and loss.
Would be happy to see you there!
Kongresshaus Zürich
06 - 10 February 2026
https://www.photo-schweiz.ch
#photoSCHWEIZ #werkschau #photography #exhibition #zürichkongresshaus
What shapes the way we speak before we even say a word?
At @headsquarter_zurich •, Melanie Forgeron and Susan Tomasko guided us into that question.
Opera singer meets somatic practitioner.
Voice meets nervous system.
A conversation on breath, posture and the body as the foundation of how we communicate, lead and connect.
Beautifully captured by @dims.q
For Jayanthan (Jay) Sivanathan, photography is not about capturing moments—it’s about documenting what would otherwise disappear.
His work on the Tamil diaspora in Switzerland begins where many stories stop: inside the family, inside conversations that were never fully had. What emerges is not a polished narrative, but something more direct—fragments of memory, migration, and everyday life that rarely enter public view.
📍 HeadsQuarter, The Artistic (Stockerstrasse 33, Zürich)
Beautifully captured by @kandelius 📸
What does it mean to tell a story that is not only yours?
For Jayanthan (@dims.q )photography became a way into conversations that had never fully happened.
“I always knew we fled. But I never knew how.” 
That sentence holds more than information. It holds distance.
The kind of distance that exists within families shaped by migration, where survival often replaces storytelling.
To make this work, he had to close that distance.
That meant asking questions.
Sitting with discomfort.
Listening to answers that were not easy to hear.
His parents’ journey across countries, through uncertainty, through risk was not something that had been fully spoken about before. Like many stories of flight, it carried silence. Protection. Memory held back.
Photography became the entry point.
Not as extraction, but as translation.
How do you turn something lived into something visible?
How do you show pain without reducing it?
How do you represent people you love without exposing them?
There were disagreements.
There were emotional moments.
There were boundaries.
But there was also a clear decision:
“I wanted to have those conversations.” 
Because alongside beauty, there are also tensions within every community. And for Jayanthan, the work is not about presenting a polished narrative. It is about opening space for dialogue within the community, and beyond it.
This is where responsibility becomes real.
At photoSCHWEIZ, his work became visible.
But its impact unfolded in what came after.
People didn’t just look.
They talked. They reflected. They carried the stories forward.
That is the shift.
From image to conversation.
From individual memory to shared understanding.
And perhaps most importantly:
From silence
to something that can finally be seen.
Thank you Jay.
Photo credit: @kandelius
Some photos taken by Mr. @kandelius . I’ve been lucky to share some of my knowledge about film photography with him and others. Seeing them go out and actually do it makes me really proud.
And this spring, I’ll finally be sharing my knowledge in a class and a photowalk. It’s happening..so stay tuned.
I‘m your pusherman.☁️
Appreciate you, @kandelius . These photos had to be shared. It was a special moment for me.
VISAR KADHAI III
A Tamil comedy show that’s now heading into its third round.
I had the chance to document the event through photography. I wanted to capture moments that, years from now, might mean everything to someone. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll look back and realize a talent in our community was born right there on that stage.
Comedy is an art form. It’s necessary. And it’s not easy.
It’s a muscle you have to keep training. Some days you bomb. But the goal is to get the fuck up and work on your craft.
If you’re an artist, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Here are some of the moments.
Oh, you really read the whole text?
….we homies now.
A photograph is a choice.
An exhibition multiplies those choices.
This session looks at what changes when work enters public space — when scale increases, decisions carry more weight, and creative leadership becomes visible.
Featuring Jayanthan “Jay” Sivanathan, speaking from his first exhibition at this scale.
Jayanthan (Jay) Sivanathan is a Thurgau-based photographer working at the intersection of analog and digital photography. His work moves between street, portrait, and documentary, shaped by observation, authenticity, and emotional presence.
This conversation begins with the image and the responsibility that comes with making it public.
Thursday · HeadsQuarter
📌 RSVP via this link: /glh6iq1s
Tea&வடை
Tested the new Kodak Kodacolor 200 when I went with Anthu to pick up some paal tea and vadai.
The colours were punchy, and I really liked them, the grain was also really nice. Shot it at box speed, but now I want to see where the limit is when I overexpose it next time. What do you think about the shots?
Kodak Kodacolor 200
Leica M6
35mm summilux f1.4
