Jules Spinatsch is a Swiss artist, photographer, editor and lecturer born and grown up in Davos. After completing the documentary photography program at the international Center of Photography ICP in New York in 1994, he started with photojournalism. Since 2000 he follows personal longterm projects that lead photographic Installations, videos or books. His research based practice includes own, found and historical material. Spinatsch is best known for his Semiautomatic Photography Projects, a group 20 works with computer controlled cameras which led to invention of the Surveillance Panorama. Best know are Temporary Discomfort and Vienna MMIX 10008/7000, the Opera-ball. Other longterm projects are Snow Management Complex a study on alpine tourism 2001 – 08 and Asynchronous I – X a series on nuclear technology ongoing from 2012. Jules Spinatsch works have been shown and are in collection of: Museum of Modern Art MoMA NY, San Francisco MoMA, Nelson Atkins Museum Missouri, Collection National des Arts Plastique CNAP Paris, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Kunsthaus Zurich, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Fondatione MAST Bologna. Jules Spinatsch published 15 Monographs to date. The last is Davos is a Verb. In Fall 2026 the Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur presents an overview of his works from last 30 years. Jules Spinatsch was awarded the Swiss Art Award 2004 and 2014, the BMW Prize Paris Photo 2004. He was short-listed for the Prix Pictet in 2008. The Monographs Temporary Discomfort was awarded best photo-book in Arles 2005. In 2011 Martin Parr’s selected it as one of the 30 best book of the decade at photo Ireland. Jules Spinatsch has been a Lecturer at HEAD Geneva, and HSLU Lucerne.
