Agenda

Between 1977 and 1985 Swiss photographer Willy Spiller lived in New York and L.A. Fascinated by the speed, the energy and the absurdity of the 1970s and 80s, he roamed the streets far and wide with his camera. Whether it was rides on the subway, dancers at the legendary Studio 54, hip-hop culture in the streets of New York or the poolside life of L.A.’s high society, Spiller captured all the many facets of a bygone world in images as varied, as fascinating and as absurd as that world itself had been. Willy Spiller spent 45 years working as a photojournalist and freelance photographer for the world’s leading newspapers, magazines, agencies and international companies. His curiosity focuses on change, whether it be social upheaval or aesthetic modulation, and he continually dares to break out of conventional photographic norms. In his search for subjective truth – often expressed through power and impotence – Spiller helps to give documentary photography its status in current art-related discourse.

© Willy Spiller