Switzerland is rich in brutalist icons. The post-war building boom brought us a number of concrete buildings, and exposed concrete (French “béton brut”) became a design tool in architecture. Writer and photographer Karin Hunter Bürki has a real soft spot for the raw beauty of this architecture and has been photographing these buildings for several years. She does so both in this country and in England, where there is a particularly high concentration of brutalist buildings.

After the initial success of her postcard collection ‘Brutalist Beauties’, she launched ‘Heartbrut’, and her photographic compendium of concrete buildings has been growing ever since. With plenty of panache, she promotes the modernity and contemporary relevance of these concrete monsters, often considered ugly (despite revival and hype). Karin Hunter Bürki portrays “her” protégés almost as if they were  elegant dresses. Or as if they were reflections of our harsh reality. She understands their “expressive honesty and penchant for irreverence as a practical guide to navigating the harsh realities of everyday life: show heart and courage, embrace the imperfect; eat naked pasta – because, well, life is brutally hard and beautiful at the same time”. A perfect motto for the upcoming Christmas season!