After its premiere at the Mesheti Genjevi Cultural Center in Ganja, Azerbaijan (March 16 – April 15, 2018), the Swiss Embassy invited me to present "Chästeilet Justistal" from January 23 to February 5, 2019, at the renowned Baku Museum of Modern Art. This exhibition documents a 300-year-old Swiss Alpine tradition of cheese distribution, known as Chästeilet, celebrated annually at Spycherberg in Justistal. In Baku, my photographs were shown alongside Elmar Mustafazade's series "Masters of Craft," creating a dialogue between different cultural craft traditions.

Participation in Regionale19.

ISBN: 9783033072855. Retrospective 2008–2018 focusing on technical exploration and emotional vulnerability. Design in collaboration with Berrel Gschwind. A collection capturing the fragile interface between technical exploration and emotional vulnerability.

As part of the Francophonie Weeks in Azerbaijan, the Swiss Embassy in Azerbaijan presented an exhibition by photographer Cedric Christopher Merkli at the Mesheti Genjevi Center in Ganja. Merkli created a new collection of photographs specifically for this exhibition, dedicated to the ancestral tradition of Swiss alpine farmers who produce alpine cheese. The exhibition immersed the public in an atmosphere dedicated to the beauty of the Swiss Alps and its pristine nature while discovering an ancient tradition.

"Since 1739, the tradition of 'Chästeilet' (cheese distribution) has taken place in Justistal. During the summer, alpine farmers produce cheese using the milk of more than 250 cows. At the end of summer, the cheese is distributed among the farmers according to a 300-year-old ritual. Afterwards, the farmers, dressed in their traditional costumes, return to the Alps with their cows. Those with the highest milk yield wear a crown of flowers."

Close-ups for "Prière de toucher, Der Tastsinn der Kunst" in the Poster Collection Basel. Graphic design: Büro Berrel Gschwind.

Edition of 5 prints, run of 50. Investigation of movement and form using gelatin-based photographic techniques. Design with Monelle Schäfer; laser prints on duplex board explore fluid dynamics and material transience in an experimental visual language.

Emerging from graffiti culture, Merkli engages with processes of material transformation and layering. With his large-scale photo wallpapers, he picks up on forms and appearances of marked urban spaces and transfers them into new contexts. An unsettling game emerges in which boundaries blur and the concrete exhibition space expands its architectural volume.

The images show differentiated encounters with cool lakes, snow-covered heights, and seemingly abandoned streets. Time and again, traces of functional buildings appear, nesting in the expanse, while moss-covered houses document nature's quiet reclamation. The photographic notes from several years of travel reveal fragmentary impressions of a country that tells a story of original naturalness as well as quiet and sometimes reluctant departure.

Photo wallpaper behind the bar counter, 2.2×400cm vinyl. Digital glitch aesthetics applied to urban space, creating disruptive visual errors that challenge seamless perception and merge technology with surroundings.

Limited calendar, 50 copies. Landscape photographs capturing Iceland's summer atmosphere. Evokes raw natural motifs, light play, and serene vastness in an intimate, collectible format for seasonal reflection.

Portrait series of regular guests. Spontaneous shots in the club environment, documenting dynamic social encounters and unguarded expressions. Explores anonymity, social energy, and fleeting identities in Basel's nightlife scene.

Collaborative project that photographically examines personal objects and their meanings. Investigates intimate artifacts as narrative carriers, connecting individual stories with visual interpretation to make emotional and cultural layers visible.

Site-specific installation mixing corporate motifs with photographic interventions, satirizing professional environments. Explores the world of "auditors" through layered imagery, merging everyday office aesthetics with surreal elements to critique power structures and hidden narratives.