Didier Ruef (born 1961) is a Swiss documentary photographer best known for his portrayal of Man & Waste, Man & Animals, Africa and Switzerland.
Life and career
Didier Ruef was born in Geneva, Switzerland on July 15, 1961 and has dual nationality, Swiss and Italian. He graduated from the University of Geneva, where he studied Economics (1981–1984).
In 1985, Ruef went to New York, where he obtained a diploma (1986) in photojournalism at the International Center of Photography (ICP). It was there that he developed his long-term essay of the life of a Puerto Rican family in Spanish Harlem, for which he won the Yann Geoffroy Prize in Milan in 1990. These photographs were exhibited at the Musee de l'Elysee in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1990.
Since returning to Switzerland in 1987, Ruef started to work as a freelance documentary photographer and photojournalist and has visited all five continents, with a preference for Africa. He has worked on various stories on the human condition in black & white and color.
Ruef was a member of Network Photographers Agency in London from 1991 to 1997. He was a founding member in September 2002 of the Swiss photo agency, Pixsil, which he left in July 2009. Today he works as a freelance photographer. He is also represented by the photo agencies Cosmos in France, Luz Photo Agency Visum in Germany and Bildbyran Silver in Scandinavia.
Ruef has worked with Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, Heks (Interchurch Aid), Swiss Red Cross, the Syngenta Foundation and the World Council of Churches.
Ruef's pictures are published in numerous magazines and newspapers in Europe, Asia and Northern America.
He won the King Albert Memorial Foundation Prize in 2000 for his book on Swiss mountain farmers (Bauern am Berg, Paysans de nos montagnes, Vita di montagna). This award, among other prizes, was the culmination of a long-term personal project which began in 1993 and completed in 1997. It was made possible with the support of Pro Helvetia for the photography and book in 1998, and an itinerant exhibition which toured Switzerland, Italy, Singapore and Jordan between 1999 and 2002.
In 2000 and 2001, Ruef was commissioned by the Swiss branch of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) for an extensive photographic report on daily life in six African countries. These pictures, together with those from numerous other African essays form the basis of a book Afrique Noire, published in 2005. An itinerant exhibition toured Switzerland and France between 2005 and 2007.
In 2007, he was commissioned by the Swiss Foundation DiDe, Dignite en Detention, for a book Enfants Prisonniers on the minors’ jail in Gitarama, Rwanda.
From 1991 to 2011, he has also been involved in a personal project worldwide on the relationship between Man and Waste. He has shot twenty photo essays and has finally published in 2011 the book Recycle, Labor et Fides (French-English) and Edizioni Casagrande (Italian-German).
Deutscher Fotobuchpreis. Nomination 2012
Swiss Press Photo. First prize for the foreign section. 2006
Fujifilm Euro Press Photo Awards. Swiss prize for the technique section. 2004
Swiss Press Photo. First prize for the foreign section. 2003
Swiss Press Photo. First and third prizes for the foreign section. 2002
King Albert Memorial Foundation for the book Bauern am Berg, OZV Offizin Zurich Verlag. Switzerland. 2000
Schweizerische Arbeitgemeinschaft fur die Berggebiete (SAB) Switzerland for the book Bauern am Berg OZV Offizin Zurich Verlag. Switzerland. 1999
Passy’s mountain book fair, France, for the book Paysans de nos montagnes, Editions Monographic. 1999
Honorable mention. UNESCO. Japan. 1993
Applied Arts Magazine Awards Annual. USA. 1993
Third black&white prize. Nikon International. Japan. 1991
Yann Geoffroy. Grazia Neri . Milan. Italy. 1990
Second color prize. Nikon International. Japan. 1989
Grand Prix. L'Illustre. Switzerland. 1983
Iasi – Puncte de vedere. Iasi Editura Muzeelor Literare.Iasi. Romania. 2015
Bestiarium. QTI. Stabio. Switzerland. 2012
Afrika, letzte Hoffnung. Corso. Germany. 2011
Recycle. Labor et Fides. Switzerland. 2011
Recycle. Casagrande Edizioni. Switzerland. 2011
Enfants Prisonniers. Fondation DiDe, Dignite en Detention. Geneva. Switzerland. 2007
Afrique Noire. Infolio Editions. Switzerland. 2005
Tausendundein Krieg. NP Buchverlag. Austria. 2004
Vita di montagna Edizioni Casagrande. Switzerland. 1998
Paysans de nos montagnes. Editions Monographic. Switzerland. 1998
Bauern am Berg OZV Offizin Zurich Verlag. Switzerland. 1998
Weltenblicke. Reportagefotografie und ihre Medien OZV Offizin Zurich Verlag. Switzerland.1997
Fondation MAST, Bologna, Italy
Musee de l'Elysee, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Schweizerische Stiftung fur die Photographie, Zurich. Switzerland.
Fonds cantonal d’art contemporain, Geneva. Switzerland.
Fonds pour la photographie, Geneva. Switzerland.
Museo Casa Cavalier Pellanda. Biasca. Switzerland.
Charles-Henri Favrod, Saint-Prex. Switzerland.
Individuals
2014
Animals’ World. Leica Galerie Salzburg, Austria
Les dechets dans le monde. Printemps de l'environnment: reduisons, reutilisons, recyclons. Ville de Palaiseau. France.
2013
Animals’ World. Leica Gallery. Zingst. Germany.
2007
Afrique Noire. Volkerkundemuseum. Zurich. Switzerland.
2006
Afrique Noire. Itineraires des Photographes Voyageurs, Bibliotheque Municipale, Bordeaux. France.
2005
Africa Nera. Museo d’arte, Mendrisio. Switzerland
Afrique Noire. Galerie Focale, Nyon. Switzerland.
Schwarzafrica. Coalmine Gallery, Winterthur. Switzerland.
2002
Mountain farming. The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman. Jordan.
2001
Paysans de montagnes. The Substation. Singapore.
Vita di montagna. CCS Centro Culturale Svizzero, Milan. Italy.
Vita di montagna. Forte di Nago, Torbole. Italy.
2000
Bauern am Berg. Museo Nazionale del San Gottardo. Switzerland.
Paysans de nos montagnes. Galerie Focale, Nyon. Switzerland.
1999
Vita di montagna. Castelgrande, Bellinzona. Switzerland.
"Paysans de nos montagnes." Caves de la maison de Courten, Sierre (Switzerland).
1998
Bauern am Berg. Volkerkundemuseum, Zurich. Switzerland.
1993
Gens de la Voirie. MJC St.-Gervais, Geneva. Switzerland.
1991
Spanish Harlem. Family Life. Musee de l'Elysee, Lausanne. Switzerland.
1990
Medecins Sans Frontieres in Uganda. Maison du Grutli, Geneva. Switzerland.
Group
2015
Sonntag Nachmittag in der Schweiz. Seebad Seewesen. Switzerland.
Recycled. Villa Dutoit. Geneva. Switzerland.
2014
Recycle. Umweltfotofestival Horizonte Zingst. Germany.
Rwanda. Minors in detention. LuganoPhotosDays. October 17–26. Lugano. Switzerland.
2013
Collection Charles-Henri Favrod. Saint-Imier Museum. Switzerland.
Bestiarium. Umweltfotofestival Horizonte Zingst. Germany.
Des Images pour la liberte d’expression. RSF (Reporters Sans frontieres). SIG. Geneva. Switzerland.
Des Images pour la liberte d’expression. RSF (Reporters Sans frontieres). LuganoPhotoDays. Lugano. Switzerland.
2012
12x7. Museo Casa Cavalier Pellanda. Biasca. Switzerland.
2011
Un mondo di persone (Objective : People’s world. WHO). Spazio Villas, Parco di San Giovanni. Trieste. Italy.
2010
Black Africa – Rwanda, Enfants Prisonniers. 10th Shanghai International Photographic Art Exhibition. Exhibition Center of Shanghai. China.
2007
Focale's 25 years . Chateau de Nyon. Switzerland.
Malnutrition's sensibilisation. Medecins Sans Frontieres France. Lille. France
2006
Switzerland by Focale’s photographers. La Gallerie Photo, Montpellier. France.
Liberte, Freiheit, Liberta. Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF). Travelling exhibit around Switzerland.
2003
Objective : People’s world. WHO, Tirana. Albania.
Le monde selon Focale . Villa Dutoit, Geneva. Switzerland.
1999
O seculo do corpo. Trabalhos fotograficos 1990-1999. Culturgest, Lisbonne. Portugal.
1997
Weltenblicke. Reportagefotografie und ihre Medien. Fotomuseum Winterthur. Switzerland.
De Ketting V. Photofestival Noorderlicht, Ja Groningen. The Netherlands.
1994
Migracoes. Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS), Sao Paulo. Brazil.
UNESCO / Accu . World Tour.
1993
World Press Photo. World Tour.
Picture Freedom. Photographers Gallery, London. England.
1991
Voir la Suisse Autrement. Switzerland's 700rd Anniversary. Fribourg. Switzerland.
1988
Triennale internationale de la Photographie. Fribourg. Switzerland.
1986
Central Park. New York. USA.
31 October 2015. "Recycle". Villa Dutoit (in French). Geneva. Switzerland.
16 October 2013. "Recycle". LuganoPhotoDays (in Italian). Lugano. Switzerland.
27 October 2012. "Fotogiornalismo oggi". Museo Casa Cavalier Pellanda (in Italian). Biasca. Switzerland.
3 April 2012. "Recycle". Societe de lecture (in French). Geneva. Switzerland.
26 October 2011. "Recycle". International Center of Photography (in English). New York City. USA
6 October 2011. "Recycle". Lecture for the participants of Unigestion Client conference (in English). Unigestion is a leading independent asset manager. Vevey. Switzerland
7 May 2011. "Recycle". Chiasso Letteraria (in Italian). Galleria Cons Arc. Switzerland.
5 April 2011. "The meaning of photography today" (in German). Canon Switzerland. “Handler Schulung Programm”. Zurich. Switzerland.
22 and 29 September 2010. "A personal view on being a photographer" (in French). Canon Switzerland. “Creative Days Lausanne and Geneva”. Switzerland.
2015
Master Class at »MAZ«. March 2–6. Luzern. Switzerland.
2014
Fotofestival »Horizonte Zingst«. Fotografie mit einem »Augenzwinkern.« May 28–29. Zingst. Germany.
LuganoPhotosDays. »Documentary Photography: Just be yourself.« October 18–19/25-26. Lugano. Switzerland.
2013
LuganoPhotosDays. October 12–17. Lugano. Switzerland.
2005
University of Tulsa. »Photojournalism« October 2005. Three days. University of Tulsa. Photo department. Oklahoma. USA.
CEPV. »Photojournalism« Spring 2005. One week class at the Centre d’Enseignement Professionel Vevey (CEPV). Switzerland
2002
Amman.»Photojournalism«. One day class at The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts Amman. Jordan.
