INHERENT BEAUTY PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO CHANGE HOW WE SEE THE WORLD
INHERENT BEAUTY PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO CHANGE HOW WE SEE THE WORLD
Sundaram Tagore presents an exhibition of work by six world-renowned photographers who are deeply engaged with the environment and contemporary social issues. Each of these artists creates compelling visual narratives that explore our shared humanity and convey the beauty inherent in our diversity and in the natural world. Sebastião Salgado and Steve McCurry share a photojournalistic approach, recording human struggle and the impact of conflict and globalization. Karen Knorr’s intricate images use ancient myths and allegories to frame issues of entrenched social constructs. Lalla Essaydi and Robert Polidori explore the human condition through intimate examinations of spaces, both real and symbolic. Edward Burtynsky photographs industrial landscapes around the world, laying bare the devastating impact of manufacturing and human consumption. A selection of images from Burtynsky’s new series Natural Order are included in this show.
EDWARD BURTYNSKY Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky has always had a deep connection to the natural world. Over his 40-year career he’s documented the human impact on nature with captivatingly beautiful images of industrial landscapes around the globe. However, the lockdown this past spring provided him with an opportunity to focus on the wild beauty of landscapes closer to home. He shot Natural Order, his newest series, in Grey County, Ontario, during lockdown. Burtynsky turned his lens back to nature, particularly the change of seasons and the cycle of renewal, revealing the resilience of the natural order. These images recall his early works that explore Canada’s unspoiled landscapes. The series includes a limited-edition portfolio of ten 20 x 24-inch photographs in a linen-covered box. It includes a book of the same name published by Steidl. Burtynsky and Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto will donate $200,000 from the proceeds of the portfolio’s sale to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Ryerson Image Centre for the acquisition of works by emerging and mid-career Canada photo artists.
Natural Order #22, 2020, chromogenic color print, 48 x 64 inches/122 x 162.6 cm 6
Natural Order #14, 2020, chromogenic color print, 48 x 64 inches/122 x 162.6 cm 7
Dryland Farming #12, Monegros County, Aragon, Spain, 2010, chromogenic color print, 48 x 64 inches/122 x 162.6 cm
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Rice Terraces #5, Western Yunnan Province, China, 2012, chromogenic color print, 48 x 64 inches/122 x 162.6 cm
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Salt Pan #15, Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, 2016, chromogenic color print, 48 x 64 inches/122 x 162.6 cm 12
Salt Pans #5, Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016, chromogenic color print, 48 x 64 inches/122 x 162.6 cm 13
Salt Pans #25, Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016, chromogenic color print, 39 x 52 inches/99 x 132 cm
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STEVE McCURRY
Magnum photographer Steve McCurry is best known for his evocative color images, many of which have become modern icons. He has travelled around the globe documenting conflict, ancient traditions, vanishing cultures and contemporary culture. He transcends cultural boundaries to capture the essence of human struggle, joy and unguarded moments. McCurry’s exquisite use of color and his unwavering commitment to retain the human element make his images timelessly captivating.
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Women shoppers dressed in the traditional burqa stand in front of a shoe shop in Kabul, Afghanistan, 1992, ultrachrome print, 40 x 60 inches/101.6 x 152.4 cm
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Children playing, near Beirut, Lebanon, 1982, ultrachrome print, 40 x 60 inches/101.6 x 152.4 cm
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Jodhpur Fruit Vendor, India, 1996, ultrachrome print, 40 x 60 inches/101.6 x 152.4 cm 22
Venetian Canal, Italy, 2011, ultrachrome print, 40 x 60 inches/101.6 x 152.4 cm 23
Ship breaking yard, near Karachi, Pakistan, 1985, ultrachrome print, 40 x 60 inches/101.6 x 152.4 cm
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KAREN KNORR
London-based artist Karen Knorr uses photography as a method of critical inquest, employing opulent architectural monuments in Asia and Western Europe to frame issues of power and class structure rooted in cultural heritage. Her work, which is influenced by surrealism and the magical realism of Latin America, also explores issues of colonialism, exoticism, appropriation, and femininity as it relates to the animal world.
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Arjuna’s Path, Junha Mahal, Dungarpur, 2014, colour pigment print on HahnemuĚˆhle Fine Art Pearl Paper, 48 x 60 inches/122 x 152 cm
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Morning Glory, Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, 2019, colour pigment print on HahnemuĚˆhle Fine Art Pearl Paper, 56 x 72 inches/142 x 183 cm
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The Grand Monkey Room 2 (ChaĚ‚teau de Chantilly), 2006, colour pigment print on HahnemuĚˆhle Fine Art Pearl Paper, 35.4 x 27.6 inches/90 x 70 cm 32
The Queen’s Room, Zanana, Udaipur City Palace, 2010, colour pigment print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl Paper, 56 x 72 inches/146 x 183 cm 33
The Battle Gallery 2 (ChaĚ‚teau de Chantilly), 2020, colour pigment print on HahnemuĚˆhle Fine Art Pearl Paper, 35.4 x 27.6 inches/90 x 70 cm
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LALLA ESSAYDI
Lalla Essaydi was born and raised in Morocco and educated in the West before moving to Saudi Arabia for several years. She explore issues of gender, cross-cultural identity and the prevalent myths of Orientalism. Working across multiple disciplines, including painting, video, installation and photography, Essaydi challenges the social norms and hierarchies that shaped her life as a young girl in Morocco.
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Harem #7, 2009, chromogenic print mounted to aluminum with a UV protective laminate, 60 x 48 inches/152.4 x 122 cm 38
Harem Revisited #32, 2012, chromogenic prints mounted to aluminum with a UV protective laminate, 60 x 96 inches/152.4 x 243.8 cm 39
Harem Revisited #47, 2013, chromogenic prints mounted to aluminum with a UV protective laminate, 40 x 90 inches/101.6 x 228.6 cm 40
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Les Femmes du Maroc: Moorish Woman, 2008, chromogenic prints mounted to aluminum with a UV protective laminate, 40 x 30 inches/101.6 x 76.2 cm
Les Femmes du Maroc #25b, 2006, chromogenic prints mounted to aluminum with a UV protective laminate, 40 x 30 inches/101.6 x 76.2 cm
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Les Femmes du Maroc #28, 2006, chromogenic print mounted to aluminum with a UV protective laminate, 48 x 60 inches/122 x 152.4 cm
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ROBERT POLIDORI
Robert Polidori is renowned for his evocative photographs of building interiors and exteriors. His images are investigations into the psychological implications of human habitats altered by the passage of time and the people who have lived in them. Polidori, who was recently awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, has shot all over the world, from the decaying mansions of Havana to the faded beauty of Goa’s colonial architecture. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York commissioned him to photograph New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and exhibited those photographs to wide acclaim in 2006.
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Villa Isabel, formerly the house of Parraga family, Calzada de Diez de Octubre, Vibora, Havana, Cuba, 1997, Epson archival inkjet print, 40 x 50 inches/101.6 x 127 cm
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L’orangerie, Château de Versailles, France, 1983, archival pigment inkjet print, 40 x 50 inches/101.6 x 127 cm 50
Salles du XIX, Attique du Nord, Aile du Nord - Attique, Château de Versailles, France, 1986, archival pigment inkjet print, 40 x 50 inches/101.6 x 127 cm
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Boiserie and curtain, Cabinet de la MÊridienne, CCE.02.027, Corps Central - 1 er etage, Château de Versailles, France, 2007, archival pigment inkjet print, 72 x 60 inches/182.9 x 152.4 cm
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Alvares Residence, Entrance Vestibule, Margao, Goa, India, 1998, 2002, archival inkjet print, 50 x 40 inches/127 x 101.6 cm
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“Disco Bank,� formerly Iglesia de San Felipe Neri, Aguiar No. 401, Habana Vieja, Havana, Cuba, 1997, archival inkjet print, 60 x 50 inches/152.4 x 127 cm
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SEBASTIÃO SALGADO Sebastião Salgado has made it his life’s work to document the impact of globalization on humankind. In the past three decades, he has traveled to more than 100 countries for his photographic projects and devotes years to each series in order to grasp the full scope of his topic. Born in Brazil in 1944, Sebastião Salgado began his career as a professional photographer in 1973 in Paris.
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Shipbreaking, Chittagong, Bangladesh, 1989, archival pigment inkjet print, 50 x 36 inches/127 x 91.4 cm 60
Beach of Vaung Tau, formerly Cap Saint Jacques, where the majority of the boat people departed, Vietnam, 1995, archival pigment inkjet print, 20 x 24 inches/51 x 61 cm
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TietĂŞ bus terminal, SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil, 1996, archival pigment inkjet print, 20 x 24 inches/51 x 61 cm
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Boys fleeing to avoid being forced to fight in the civil war and heading for Kenya, Southern Sudan, 1993, archival pigment inkjet print, 24 x 35 inches/61 x 89 cm
Rwandan refugee camp of Benako, Tanzania, 1994, gelatin silver print,24 x 35 inches/61 x 89 cm 65
Inside a food distribution run by French humanitarian organization Action Contre La Faim, Kabul, Afghanistan, 1996, gelatin silver print, 35 x 24 inches/89 x 61 cm
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Nahr el-Bared, Palestinian refugee camp, Region of Tripoli, Lebanon, 1998, gelatin silver print, 24 x 35 inches/61 x 89 cm
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Libya, 2009, gelatin silver print, 20 x 24 inches/51 x 61 cm 70
Scene near the Marubo Maronal village, Amazonas, Brazil, 1998, gelatin silver print, 24 x 35 inches/61 x 89 cm 71
A tuna fisherman asleep on a net, Trapani, Sicily, Italy, 1991, gelatin silver print, 24 x 35 inches/61 x 89 cm
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A family leaves a coal mine with a cart used to bring food to workers, Dhanbad, Bihar, India, 1989, gelatin silver print, 24 x 35 inches/61 x 89 cm
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SUNDARAM TAGORE GALLERIES We have been representing established and emerging artists from around the world since 2000. We show work that is aesthetically and intellectually rigorous, infused with humanism and art historically significant. We specialize in paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations with a strong emphasis on materiality. Our artists cross cultural and national boundaries, synthesizing Western visual language with forms, techniques and philosophies from Asia, the Subcontinent and the Middle East. We show this work alongside important work by overlooked women from the New York School. The gallery also has a robust photography program that includes some of the world’s most noted photographers.
NEW YORK Chelsea: 547 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001 • tel 212 677 4520 Madison Avenue: 1100 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10028 • tel 212 288 2889 gallery@sundaramtagore.com
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HONG KONG 4/F, 57-59 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong • tel 852 2581 9678 hongkong@sundaramtagore.com President and curator: Sundaram Tagore Senior Director, New York: Susan McCaffrey Director, Singapore: Melanie Taylor Director, New York: Kathryn McSweeney Registrar: Julia Occhiogrosso Designer: Russell Whitehead Editorial support: Kieran Doherty
WWW.SUNDARAMTAGORE.COM Text © 2020 Sundaram Tagore Gallery Photographs © 2020 Sundaram Tagore Gallery All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Cover: Beach of Vaung Tau, formerly Cap Saint Jacques, where the majority of the boat people departed, Vietnam, 1995, archival pigment inkjet print, 20 x 24 inches/51 x 61 cm