Du puzzle à la mosaïque – Le Luxembourg, singulier parce que pluriel…, is the title of the exhibition by Raymond Reuter on view through April at the Chambre des Salariés à Luxembourg. It is presented as follows.
At a time when, almost everywhere in the world, nationalist and chauvinist ideas—exclusion, withdrawal into oneself, and discrimination—are unfortunately becoming more visible and, above all, more harmful… it seems essential to show how an open society and a plural identity can provide the foundations for living together in harmony.
Even if Luxembourg’s realities are still far from the dream of a perfectly peaceful society, aware of the richness of its diversity and determined to build the future on its ability to add together the contributions of each and every one; even if, too often, the reception of migrants and the shipwrecked of history is still open to criticism… Luxembourg remains a kind of oasis in a Europe already threatened by xenophobic mindsets and organizations.
The exhibition and the book by Claude Frisoni and Raymond Reuter are not part of an activist project. The idea is rather to spark desire. To display the colors, to make one imagine the sounds and smells of cultures that came from elsewhere. To tell how the contributions of foreign communities have transformed the country, not only from an economic point of view but also in terms of lifestyle, mindsets, customs, and practices.
The 101 personalities photographed are the tesserae of the mosaic presented by the authors. How were they chosen?
Claude and Raymond’s only ambition was to offer a range of personalities capable of illustrating the richness of the country’s diversity.
First and foremost, those who appear in this panel are the ones who agreed to take part. Others who could have appeared in these pages declined, because of the precariousness of their situation—this was notably the case for stateless people. Still others were not available, or preferred anonymity.
Then, more than selection criteria, what prevailed were feelings, shared emotions, and chance as well. Sometimes: a kind recommendation, artists, friendly strangers, future friends…
Compatriots, in the literal sense of the word. A compatriot is someone with whom one shares a homeland—this homeland we received as a birth gift, or that we chose to adopt, wishing to be adopted by it in return.
No stereotyped models, then; no modeled models, but authentic fragments of life, warm smiles, friendly glances, moments of fraternity—so many tesserae of a mosaic still to be invented…
A project supported and produced by the Chambre des Salariés of Luxembourg.
Raymond Reuter : Du puzzle à la mosaïque – Le Luxembourg, singulier parce que pluriel…
through April 2026
Chambre des Salariés à Luxembourg
18 rue Auguste Lumière
L-1950 Luxembourg
Book
Publisher responsible for the catalogue: Chambre des Salariés
Book format: 24 x 31 cm
184 pages
Distribution: Librairie Ernster
[email protected]
www.ernster.com
