Karl Max Kessler (1880-1960) was a carpenter, hunter, entrepreneur, and photographer whose pioneering spirit helped shape the modern identity of the Kleinwalsertal throughout the 20th century. He captured alpine life in around 10,000 glass plate negatives – images that contributed to the growing appeal of the region as a tourist destination. In 2021, his grandchildren founded the Karl Max Kessler Archive to preserve this legacy and open it to local citizens as well as tourists. Through an annual artist-in-residence program, the archive invites contemporary artists to respond to Kessler’s photographs and to the valley itself. Their works – installed directly in the landscape – explore the constructed nature of local identity, the impact of tourism, and the shifting relationship between people and place. As the region transitions from alpine agriculture to a tourism-driven economy, contemporary art plays a vital role in reactivating cultural memory. These contemporary art installations foster public dialogue about the traditions and customs that may be lost. The public context enables landscape and picture to intertwine, rendering the changing environment of the Kleinwalsertal visible.
