forever happy: Photo Festival brings powerful images to the City Museum and the Castle Park
05.05.2026 | from Stadtmuseum Aarau
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Image rights: Stadtmuseum Aarau
05.05.2026, With two image-rich exhibitions, the Lenzburg Photo Festival visits the Aarau City Museum: In the foyer, Mexican Magnum photographer Yael Martínez presents his work 'Echoes of uncertain silence' on migration and trauma, while 'Beach epiphany' by Rodrigo Koraicho from Brazil highlights the contradictions of the longing for happiness with colourful images from Miami Beach.
Opening with photo espresso and guided tour on 10 May, from 2:30 PM at the Aarau City Museum
(Exhibition from 9 May to 7 June at the Aarau City Museum and Castle Park, free entry)
Lenzburg Photo Festival at the Aarau City Museum: two exhibitions on 'forever happy'
From 9 May to 7 June 2026, the Lenzburg Photo Festival transforms the cities of Lenzburg, Aarau, and for the first time Baden, into a vibrant exhibition space for contemporary photography. Under the title 'Forever Happy', this year's edition is dedicated to happiness in all its facets - its fleeting moments, social constructions, and contradictions in a world characterized by consumption and self-optimization.
The Aarau City Museum is once again a festival venue, showcasing two photographic positions that explore the longing for happiness and illuminate the contradictions of the feeling: What is happiness - and where are its limits?
In the Castle Park near the Aarau City Museum, Brazilian artist Rodrigo Koraicho presents his long-term project 'Beach epiphany'. Against the paradoxical backdrop of Miami Beach, the series examines the interface of identity, capitalism, and the environment. Between sun, beach, and leisure, social inequalities, climate crisis, and real estate interests become visible. 'Beach epiphany' is the first open-air photo exhibition in the Aarau Castle Park, free of charge and accessible around the clock.
In the foyer of the City Museum, 'Echoes of uncertain silence' by the Mexican Magnum photographer Yael Martínez can be seen. The work was created in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders in Mexico City and addresses the situation of migrants trapped in precarious conditions due to tightened asylum regulations. Martínez processes his photographs with acids, inks, and acrylics, creating compelling images about memory, trauma, survival, and resistance.
Opening and accompanying programme
Opening on Sunday, 10 May 2026: 2.30 PM: Photo espresso (view pictures, drink coffee and eat cake) 3.00 PM: Guided tour with both artists Yael Martinez and Rodrigo Koraicho through the exhibitions (approx. 1 hour, in English, no registration required)
Further events at the Aarau City Museum: Tue, 12 May, 12.00 – 1.15 PM: Lunch menu and short tour (with registration, in German) Thu, 21 May, 6.00 PM: 'Cropping Reality' curators' tour with Greg Tiani and talk with Maëlle L’Homme (Doctors Without Borders) and Bernhard Vesco (Aargauer Zeitung
Schweiz am Wochenende), in English, no registration required.
Lenzburg Photo Festival at the Aarau City Museum
9 May to 7 June 2026 (free entry, even without a festival pass)
Aarau City Museum / Aarau Castle Park
Meret Radi, Team Leader Staff Service
Aarau City Museum
Schlossplatz 23
5000 Aarau
T direct 062 836 02 54 (Tue, Thu, Fri)
Stadtmuseum.ch
Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher. Image rights: Stadtmuseum Aarau
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Stadtmuseum Aarau
The collection of the Aarau City Museum includes around 60,000 objects of very different quality: furniture, photographs, posters, graphics, precious items, everyday objects, and technical cultural assets, mainly from the 18th to 20th centuries. Due to its former history as a residential museum, furniture forms a focal point.
The Aarau City Museum has been housed since 1939, initially under the name 'Old Aarau', in the formerly known 'Schlössli'. The mighty tower made of large stone blocks, built in the 13th century and located outside the city, received extensions and additions at various times. In 1971, preceding old residential and commercial buildings were demolished to create a terrace that gave the 'Schlössli' a free standing in the cityscape. However, its entrance was located away from the Schlossplatz, somewhat hidden at the end of the terrace.
The City Museum consisted largely of furnished, historicizing rooms. There was hardly any space for exhibitions. Therefore, since its founding in 1992, the Society for the Promotion of the City Museum has endeavoured to address this shortcoming through an expansion. The tasks of the City Museum were to be redefined as part of the expansion. Based on a corresponding report, five architectural firms were invited to take part in a study commission in 2006. The aforementioned terrace was intended as the location for the expansion.
With the expansion and reopening in 2015, an important repositioning began for the Aarau City Museum: The leading media of the 20th century - photography and film - and the new digital image worlds are at the centre of exhibitions, educational offerings, and collaborations. Part of this realignment is the cooperation with the State Archive of Aargau. The heart of the collaboration is the 'Focus Ringier Image Archive'.
Note: The "About Us" text is taken from public sources or from the company profile on HELP.ch.
Source: Stadtmuseum Aarau, Press release
Original article published on: forever happy: Fotofestival bringt starke Bilder ins Stadtmuseum und in den Schlosspark