Maya Rochat (b. 1985) is a Swiss visual artist acclaimed internationally for her experimental approach to photography and image-making.
Studio Maya Rochat
Route de Grandvaux 22
1096 Cully
Switzerland
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Over the past decade, Maya Rochat has developed an interdisciplinary body of work that challenges and transforms spaces, immersing viewers in the images. Moving fluidly from one medium to another (photography, painting, video, installation, performance), she explores a wide range of formats and media through large-scale installations and ephemeral interventions.
Painting and photography are at the heart of her practice—a direct and intuitive language that combines instinct and thought. Her work is characterized by a physical and experiential relationship with images, in which process and color are central.
Maya Rochat expands her practice to include objects, books, and clothing. Linked to her exhibitions, these editions create an ongoing dialogue with her work, extending its reach beyond the exhibition space.
A graduate of ECAL (École cantonale d'art de Lausanne) and HEAD – Geneva University of Art and Design, Maya Rochat works across multiple media, combining photography, painting, video, and live performance to create immersive, multisensory visual experiences.
Over the past decade, she has developed an expansive body of work that transforms space and engages viewers across a wide range of formats and supports, from large-scale installations to performative interventions. Painting lies at the core of her practice: a direct, intuitive language through which instinct, gesture, and color unfold. Her work is defined by a physical and emotional relationship to image-making, where process and presence are central.
Among her most celebrated projects, the Living in the Painting series, monumental, poetic live projections created in collaboration with musicians such as Buvette, Julie Semoroz, and Blackout, has captivated audiences at iconic venues including Tate Modern's South Tank (London), Plateforme 10 (Lausanne), the Grand Théâtre (Geneva), and the KKL (Lucerne).
Her work has been exhibited at major international institutions including the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris), Tate Modern (London), Photo Elysée (Lausanne), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), and ETH Zürich. Since 2018, she has extended her practice to include objects and garments developed from the same prints used in her exhibitions, expanding her interdisciplinary approach beyond the exhibition space.
Rochat's practice has earned her numerous awards, including the Prix AMP (2022), Prix Mobilière (2019), Bourse Leenaards (2018), and Prix Abraham Hermanjat (2017). Her works are held in significant public and private collections, and continue to push the boundaries of contemporary image-making with a raw, vibrant, and deeply poetic vision.
photo : Mathieu Brefin
