This hydropower series falls in line with a number of Rickli's other artistic field studies that embody a set of existential problems: What kinds of effort are necessary to come closer to the goal of an energy transition? Rickli's work on Hagneck is a captivating chamber play comprising forms, rhythms, and materials. The geometric surfaces, abstract landscapes, and austere, utilitarian architecture capture the imagination. In the end, simplicity is what remains: an essence in black and white resulting from a rigorous mastery of perspective and image. At the same time, Rickli's allusions to the New Objectivity credo of Albert Renger-Patzsch transcend this, conveying something profound. It is the search for a lost purity. The photography restores it as an aesthetic experience — a kind of magic.
Text by Sascha Renner
HAGNECK 2015 – Publication
ISBN 978-3-033-05255-0