Archiv in Bewegung. Vom WhatsApp-Foto zur Sammlung

Every day at noon, the artist Olga Bushkova and her father exchange a photo via WhatsApp. From this everyday gesture a shared visual language has emerged, which Bushkova condenses in the exhibition «Photo at 12» at Villa Sträuli, Winterthur. The ongoing family archive reveals proximity and distance at once: it preserves memories, negotiates relationships, and asks how private images become public narratives.

The conversation brings together three perspectives: Olga Bushkova discusses the development, selection, gaps, and responsibility toward those depicted. Artist Thi My Lien Nguyen broadens the view to collective remembrance practices: how do shared archives form in families and communities, how are they maintained, who gets to tell the story—and who remains unseen? Lars Willumeit, Director of Fotostiftung Schweiz, sharpens the notion of the archive from an institutional angle: what does it mean to collect, organize, and provide access? What conditions are needed for long-term preservation, and how can digital image streams be safeguarded over time?

Together, the guests discuss authorship, context, and the tension between intimacy and the public sphere. The evening invites reflection on the future of remembering—between private gesture and museum responsibility, between WhatsApp image and collection.