INVENTIO

A lush nature, a feeling of exotism, signs, traces, clues of a human presence, a universe of discoveries, explorations and mysteries. A world that seems to be jumping back and forth between present and past, between here and elsewhere, between me and the other.
Aesthetics that evoke the imagery passed down by colonial anthropology. The exotic, the strange, the unexplored, aesthetic strategies that induce a parallelism between the 19th century and today. In this regard the desire to talk about a present situation that is nevertheless a direct result from the past.
Drawing from elements of my lige, I approached a much more global notion - neocolonialism. I go then from a private story to a worldwide issue, to power relations between North and South, to a reflection upon capitalism. My daily life is governed by a large array of transactions, exchanges and links on a planetary level. I wouldn’t be who I am without globalization.
This work comprises a good deal of subjectivity, of imaginary, of poetics. It is a kind of autofiction made of biographical elements, of fantasized elements, of others still that are more journalistic, a world that carries the viewer into a timeless and spaceless voyage.

«One of the biggest challenges for contemporary photography dealing with social issues,» says Lesley Martin, «is how to visualize the otherwise invisible forces that define the world-the flow of money, power, and information in relation to global capitalism, chief among them.» Yann Haeberlin uses an astute combination of text and the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated images-many of which be staged-to tease out some of these undercurrents of the modern, post-colonial world. Jnventio is an assemblage of blunt depictions of rocks, natural sites, medical products, and other items that, combined with pointed captions about commodity trading and markets, form lyric micro-narratives that highlight the contradictions and absurdities of global exchange. Martin says, «It’s an ambitions project (not without some wobbles), tied together in a simple, brown-paper wrapping.» Lesley A. Martin Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Award