Aesthetica Issue 101 by Aesthetica Magazine

Aesthetica

THE ART & CULTURE MAGAZINE

www.aestheticamagazine.com

Issue 101 June / July 2021

SPATIAL RECALIBRATION

ILLUSORY ARCHITECTURE

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

Exploring the social history and heritage behind lowrider culture

Dadaism and Hip Hop are brought together in conceptualised murals

Layered photographs that oscillate between the familiar and unfamiliar

Looking back on the legacy and principles of desert modernism

UK £5.95 Europe €11.95 USA $15.49

FORMS OF RESISTANCE

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Welcome Editor’s Note

On the Cover Tekla Evelina Severin (b. 1981) is a Stockholm-based colourist, designer and photographer. She is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of Toniton – a new “colour brand” launched in late 2020, focused on six matching palettes for circulation within the home. (p. 76) Cover Image: Image courtesy Toniton: @toniton_colours (2020). Photography: Tekla Severin and Gabriel Söderbladh. Retouch: Tekla Severin and Retuschor.se.

As I sit down to write this, I have so many things that I want to say. For the moment, it is starting to look up. We are able to see each other again, sit inside and have a meal, go on holiday and to the cinema, but I don’t want to get carried away. I am thrilled that this could be the start of the return back to life as we knew it, albeit the improved version. The only word that comes into my mind when I think of this pandemic is: astonishing. You need distance to even begin to understand the enormity of the situation. Now that 15 months have passed since the first lockdown, I recall moments of fear, anxiety and loss. Inside this issue we look at artists and curators who are initiating change, and bringing important and critical works to light. We’re keen to survey these shows and bring the widest possible points of access to the works. In Underexposed: Women Photographers from the Collection at High Museum of Art, Atlanta, more than 100 images, many which have never been on view, are brought out for audiences to enjoy. The artworks highlight the contributions of women throughout the history of photography, spanning from innovators to present-day practitioners who investigate the intersections of image-making, representation and identity. We speak with South African artist Robin Rhode about his wide-ranging practice. He is best-known for large-scale public wall drawings, in which figures interact with objects, vehicles and architecture, or abstract geometric patterns. Kristin Bedford’s new photo book, Cruise Night, pulls back the curtain on LA’s Mexican American lowrider car culture, tackling misconceptions and celebrating the uniqueness of this community through its modes of expression. In photography, we present the works of Natalie Christensen, Kristina Varaksina, Kelsey McClellan and Mue Studio, as well as the paper art and science of Matthew Shlian, and Tekla Severin on the cover. These works are pushing the boundaries of what photography should and can be. That is beyond exhilarating! Cherie Federico

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contents

Art 16 News A selection of six groundbreaking exhibitions that challenge notions of design history, the home, and the development of British surrealism.

22 10 to See For our summer recommendations, the exhibition space is reinvented and otherwise renewed, from growing microcosms to survey-led installations.

26 Sphere of Influence Palm Springs Modernism has played a pivotal role in contemporary culture, from Hockney’s pop pool paintings to open-plan architecture.

32 Poignant Introspection In a sequence of self-portraits, shot throughout the pandemic, Kristina Varaksina sits shrouded by materials, from plastic ruffs to adhesive plasters.

40 Visual Escapism Mue Studio specialises in the creation of digital image design and direction, producing meditative non-places that exist between fantasy and reality.

52 Spatial Recalibration Elements of Hip Hop, Dadaism, street culture, sci-fi and philosophy feed into the imaginary worlds of interdisciplinary artist Robin Rhode.

58 Intuitive Geometries Matthew Shlian is a paper engineer, innovating in the field of contemporary origami through a series of tessellations, compressions and pleats.

70 Cultural Investigation High Museum, Atlanta, has a commendable aim: to address gender imbalance in photography. Underexposed is part of this radical examination.

86 Illusory Architecture Andrea Grützner’s layered compositions deal with the emotional and visual perception of modern spaces, from guest houses to tech universities.

92 Graphic Collaboration Throughout lockdown, three artists embarked on a journey of shared creativity, transforming household ephemera into bold compositions.

102 Forms of Resistance Cut spring coils, hydraulics and colourful paint are integral to lowrider car culture, but there's so much more to the story of vehicle customisation.

108 Visual Archetypes Natalie Christensen’s career as a psychotherapist informs her practice as a photographer, bringing an analytical sensibility to colourful landscapes.

On the Cover

Ones to Watch

Exhibitions

76 Colour as Language Tekla Severin offers a smorgasbord of forms and furnishings, with playful tones referencing the work of Ettore Sottsass and The Memphis Group.

118 New and Noteworthy We select 12 emerging artists exploring prescient 21st century themes of isolation and eco-anxiety through fine art, illustration and photography.

124 Gallery Reviews Coverage from top shows at Robert Klein, Boston, Stills, Edinburgh; The Photographers' Gallery, London; and Tropenmuseum Amsterdam.

Reviews

Artists’ Directory

Last Words

129 Film, Music and Books The latest independent releases include books containing 140 responses to the climate crisis, euphoric pop, and Jack London adaptation.

140 Featured Practitioners This edition’s artists are using a variety of colours, materials, shapes and forms to offer varied and complex perspectives on an ever-changing world.

146 Tracy Marshall-Grant Bristol Photo Festival's new director shares insight into the 2021 theme, A Sense of Place, defining the frontier between nature, culture and history.

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The Aesthetica Team: Editor: Cherie Federico Associate Editor: Kate Simpson Digital Content Creator: Eleanor Sutherland Digital Assistant: Saffron Ward

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ISSN 1743-2715. All work is copyrighted to the author or artist. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without permission from the publisher. Published by Cherie Federico and Dale Donley. Aesthetica Magazine 21 New Street York, YO1 8RA, UK Newstrade Distribution: Warners Group Publications plc. Gallery & Specialist Distribution: Central Books. Printed by Warners Midlands plc.

Advertising Coordinator: Megan Hobson Artists’ Directory Coordinator: Katherine Smira Production Director: Dale Donley Office Manager: Helen Osbond Designer: Matt Glasby Video Producer: Chris Maudsley

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Reviewers: Kyle Bryony, James Mottram, Chris Webb, Jack Solloway, Colin Herd Olivia Hampton, Monica de Vidi, Matt Swain Eleanor Sutherland

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Nam June Paik, TV Garden, 1974–77/2002 (installation view, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam); Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf; © Estate of Nam June Paik; photo: Deter Tijhuis.

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Realms of Discovery NAM JUNE PAIK This summer, SFMOMA presents the first large-scale retro- the show. Distinct binaries are broken and questions asked. “Understanding a Frieling continues: “Rudyard Kipling famously said that work of art becomes a spective of Paik since the artist’s death, organised by Rudolf Frieling, Curator of Media Arts. He notes: “Nam June Paik’s ‘East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,’ complex intersection (1932-2006) reception has changed dramatically over the to which Paik responded with a satellite programme titled of sights and sounds. decades, shaped by our comfort level with technology in the Bye Bye Kipling (1986). That, in essence, is Paik’s agenda, This is wild, noisy, arts. Today, living as we do in such a private / public screen stating again and again that they do meet, although they irreverent – a timely culture, everybody can connect easily to the sheer complex- might not understand each other. In response to his insertion show precisely ity and layered collage of Paik’s signature style. That said, we of original Japanese Pepsi commercials in an early TV ex- because a whole recognise ourselves and our past in the multiplicity of mass periment, one could ask why an American audience should new generation has media references, especially with the way that he incorpo- be exposed to that. At this point, Paik would say, why not? grown up to deal rated pop culture, but that’s not why we love him. I would Although you might not understand Japanese, you do get with the mash ups argue that feeling is reserved for the humanity he brings – the message and you realise that we do live in a world where of Internet culture .” charm and humour, and oftentimes a surprising simplicity in images are distributed globally 24/7. Understanding a work iconic and Zen-inspired sculptures like TV Buddha or Candle of art ultimately becomes a complex intersection of sights Projection. His contemporary significance is also due to his and sounds, of recognising and misremembering.” To some degree, with galleries re-opening worldwide, viewtransnational work and life – a mind constantly at work creating bridges between the east and west, being a role model for ers are spoilt for choice with where to go first. This is one of the most exciting shows on offer in the USA, with the opporartists who reflect the complexities of the 21st century.” SFMOMA delivers on the promise to display the artist's tunity to see Paik’s ambitious 360-degree video environment full career, including some of the most iconic video and Sistine Chapel, which was only shown once in the context of participatory works from the 1960s and 1970s, including TV the German pavilion of the Venice Biennale in 1993, and Nam June Paik Garden (1974-1977) – an installation that imagines a future resonates to audiences in brand new ways in the age of Ins- SFMOMA, San Francisco landscape in which electronics and nature are irreparably tagram. Frieling concludes: "This is wild, noisy, irreverent – a Until 3 October intertwined. This sense of amalgamation – of culture and timely show because a whole new generation has grown up nature conversing – comes through in many works across to deal with the rotations and mash ups of internet culture.” sfmoma.org

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Decentralised Perspectives THIS WORLD IS WHITE NO LONGER

Danica Dakić, El Dorado. Gießbergstraße, 2006–07 Color slide, light box, courtesy of the artist, © Danica Dakić / Bildrecht, Vienna 2021, photo: Danica Dakić.

The final sentence of James Baldwin’s 1953 essay Stranger brutality against Rodney King in 1991 – and the reaction of “What we want to do in The Village reads: “This world is white no longer, and it will the George Bush administration against protests by people with the exhibition never be white again.” In this pivotal work, Baldwin addressed of colour – which was repeated by Trump’s presidency and is to question the centuries of racism and systematic discrimination against the Black Lives Matter marches connected to the killing of naturalised white Black people – in America and Europe – having created a George Floyd. Running adjacent to this piece, with equal European view that view of the world based on white privilege. Baldwin argues impetus, is Forensic Architecture’s investigations on the desires to ignore that white Americans have tried to separate their history from illegal and violent pushbacks of refugees at the Greek / its privileges, and Turkish border along the Evros / Meriç river. Tabor continues: its latent racist Black citizens, but this, of course, is completely impossible. This line provides the title for Museum der Moderne’s show, “These racist, anonymous, state-governed pushbacks violate structures of thinking This World is White No Longer: Views of a Decentered World. basic human rights. This is officially denied, but it can be and behaviour.” Curator Jürgen Tabor expands: “What we want to do with proved with evidence analysed by Forensic Architecture.” Danica Dakić’s (b. 1962) El Dorado. Gießbergstraße the exhibition is to question the naturalised white European view that desires to ignore its privileges, and its latent racist (2006/2007) is an exhibition highlight – a multi-media structures of thinking and behaviour. On the one hand, we collaboration placing young unaccompanied refugees in focus on works and practices that examine white structural Germany in front of the lens. For this project, Dakić asked racism, and on the other hand, we intensely try to practice a individuals to expand on their stories against a panoramic change of perspectives, to propose a multi-layered view of tapestry referencing the legend of El Dorado, a fictional the world. Here, empathy plays a central role: what does it location imagined to exist in the middle of a dense jungle mean to be affected by racism? What can we learn from works in South America. El Dorado became a symbol of the This World is that are examining and focusing on Black identities in all quest for paradise, but it also stands, in present-day, for White No Longer their complexities (Black African, American, Asian, European, the colonialisation of South America by Spanish and Museum der feminist, queer)? How can we engage with the project of Black Portuguese conquistadors, who hoped to find great treasures Moderne, Salzburg upon entering the country. Opulant vegetation and utopian Until 10 October freedom – a life free from racist discrimination?” A centrepiece is Adrian Piper's (b. 1948) Black Box / White structures are held in sharp contrast with the unrelenting gaze Box (1992), which offers two perspectives on the racist of youths in transition between childhood and adulthood. museumdermoderne.at

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Sheila Legge as Surrealist ‘Phantom’, Trafalgar Square, London, 11 June 1936. Photograph attributed to Claude Cahun Courtesy Jersey Heritage Collections.

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An Enduring Legacy PHANTOMS OF SURREALISM On a hot June day in 1936, a haunting figure was seen walking around Trafalgar Square, adorned by pigeons, with arms outstretched in a kind of pantomime. Performance artist Sheila Legge (1911-1949) had taken to the streets as the “Surrealist Phantom of Sex Appeal.” Her head was obscured with red flowers – a look inspired by Dalí’s Woman with a Head of Roses (1935). She wore a white wedding dress, subverting the role of the bride with connotations of reclamation and sovereignty, whilst drawing attention to herself as a spectacle. Passers-by were puzzled by the anonymous spectre – compelling, beautiful, ghostly – and the story quickly made its way into newspaper headlines. The phantom, it seemed, had a purpose: to announce the coming of a groundbreaking show at New Burlington Galleries, Mayfair, which ran from 11 June to 4 July 1936. The London International Surrealist Exhibition heralded a new wave of artists focused on the uncanny and fantastical. The image and enduring legacy of Legge as the “Surreal Phantom” (pictured above) provides the cornerstone of Whitechapel Gallery’s archive show, which calls upon the vital contributions of women surrealists in Britain. Co-curators Nayia Yiakoumaki and Cameron Foote expand: “Legge’s performance, captured by photographer Claude Cahun (1894-1954), has become one of the most recognisable images of surrealism – and this wasn’t an accident. Working

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on this project, we were surprised to discover the extent of “Whitechapel's the strategy and planning that went into making the London rendition, as a whole, International Surrealist Exhibition a public sensation. There is is a refreshing shift an enormous album of over 200 press cuttings, now held in narrative, and in the National Galleries of Scotland archive. This attests to a new take on the the success of the publicity around the exhibition, which was canon of surrealism attended by around 1,000 visitors each day. Legge’s move as it came into was both a remarkably early example of performance art, being. These historic and a central part of a well-thought-out press campaign.” displays provide Whitechapel’s rendition, as a whole, is a refreshing shift in a space for longnarrative, and a new take on the canon of surrealism as it overdue recognition.” came into being. Yiakoumaki and Foote continue: “It’s true that many men of the movement cast women as assistants, muses, or eroticised subjects. Nevertheless, at least 15 women represented at the 1936 show, and there was a fairly even balance of men and women contributors to the surrealist section of the Artists International Association held at Whitechapel in 1939. Many of these works have been lost in the intervening years and, whilst this is slowly changing, they are under-represented in public museum collections.” Phantoms of Surrealism This exhibition brings together now well-recognised prac- Whitechapel titioners such as Ithell Colquhoun and Grace Pailthorpe, Gallery, London with lesser-known figures Ruth Adams and Elizabeth Raikes. Until 12 December These historic displays provide a space for long-overdue recognition: a manifesto for the feminine creative subconscious. whitechapelgallery.org

Pioneering Functionality CHARLOTTE PERRIAND: THE MODERN LIFE

“There are no unusable materials – what matters is how they are used. I would often go to the mountains, seeing shepherds make small seats from odd bits of wood, anything that came to hand.”

Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life Design Museum, London 19 June - 5 September designmuseum.org

Charlotte Perriand on the chaise longue basculante B306, 1929. © AChP/ © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2021.

In 1984, Architectural Review interviewed Charlotte Perriand aluminium and glass furniture for the masses. Most notable (1903-1999), one of the most influential 20th century French was a series of iconic tubular steel chairs – the LC2 Grand designers. She stated, amongst early anecdotes of making Confort armchair, the B301 reclining chair and B306 chaise necklaces with ball-bearings and cocktail bars in sheet alu- longue – the likes of which have been copied and emulated minium: “There are no unusable materials – what matters for decades, from Barker & Stonehouse to Etsy. The most is how they are used. I would often to go the mountains, revered design was the B306 prototype (1929), a chair [seeing] shepherds make small seats from odd bits of wood, constructed with functionality at the forefront, which could anything that came to hand.” This was the most important “adopt any position, always balanced on its own without meguiding principle for Perriand – and for design as we know chanical intervention.” The chaise longue encapsulated what it today – to consider our material and ecological realities the studio considered to be “good design” as “a docile servand create in ways that are both imaginative and responsible. ant that is self-effacing in order to leave its master free.” Design Museum, London, dedicates an extensive proPerriand famously started her career knocking on the door of Le Corbusier, offering him her services as a furni- gramme to Perriand, reflecting on an esteemed career often ture designer. In the monograph Une vie de création (1998), overshadowed by her male contemporaries. Exhibition highshe writes: “Clutching a portfolio of drawings, I found myself lights include archive imagery of Perriand reclining on the face-to-face one October afternoon in 1927 with Corbusier's B306 chair, alongside a presentation of Bibliothèque de la horn-rimmed spectacles. The austere office was somewhat in- Maison du Mexique (1952), a cubist shelving unit boasting timidating, and his greeting rather frosty. 'What do you want?' block colour reds, yellows, whites and blacks, like the interhe asked, his eyes hooded by his glasses. 'To work with you.’ secting lines of a Piet Mondrian painting. A wealth of other He glanced quickly through my drawings. 'We don't embroi- pieces demonstrate the designer’s interest in architecture that meets human needs, from ski resorts to open-plan inder cushions here,' he replied, and showed me the door." A few months later, Corbusier apologised, and invited Per- teriors intended so women didn’t feel “trapped” in the home. This is a vital retrospective honouring an often-overlooked riand to join his studio with Pierre Jeanneret. Thus began a journey of creative experimentation, with the trio eventually practitioner, who, ahead of her time, knew that “dwellings being credited for “machine age” aesthetics, making steel, should create conditions that foster harmonious balance.”

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Andreas Mühe, Egon vorm Haus, 2007. aus der Serie / from the series Egon Krenz. Courtesy the artist © Andreas Mühe/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021.

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Examining the Domestic SWEET HOME, ALONE The concept of home has been radically redefined throughout the pandemic. Rooms once associated with restoration and revitalisation have been drastically altered through continued restrictions, transforming living rooms and bedrooms into shared working spaces, home gyms and schools. Multiple lockdowns have altered everything from increased electricity bills to an altered design aesthetic, with growing sales in furnishings with antimicrobial properties, made from copper, brass and bronze. Change is inevitable with people spending significantly more time inside than ever before. Of course, the home has always reflected developments in health, culture and wider society, cradling our inner lives, concerns and desires. As Forbes noted in September 2020: “Home design changes and improvements have long been linked to pandemics. In fact, the design of the modern bathroom is largely due to infectious diseases. A cholera outbreak in London served as a catalyst to replace thick carpet and heavy drapes in bathrooms with tile and smooth materials that are easier to clean. It was during the 1918 flu pandemic that homeowners started installing small bathrooms on the main levels of their homes so guests could wash up without traipsing through the entire house. Powder rooms or main level guest bathrooms are a common design practice today.” It's unsurprising, then, that artists and curators are interested in interpretations of the home as we begin to look, again,

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beyond the front door. This summer, Schloss Kummerow “The flip side of opens a season of exhibitions with Sweet Home, Alone, a lead private comfort show that subverts the idiom of “home sweet home,” and its sheltered from incurred premise of happiness, comfort and safety. Curator the world at Kristina Schrei notes: “The flip side of private comfort shel- large is isolation tered from the world is isolation and distancing. Withdrawal and distancing. into the domestic sphere means staying away from public Withdrawal into life. A rejection of political participation has historically been the domestic sphere most evident in times of wider social and political unrest.” means staying away Andreas Mühe’s work, for example, recalls the darker in- from public life.” tersections between East and West Germany. In a portrait of Egon Krenz, we gaze upon a major player of the German Democratic Republic, who lives in complete seclusion. Cast against an inky blue sky, this pivotal historical political figure takes centre stage as someone who willingly – or perhaps by force – no longer has a place in public life. He prunes hedges at night, a manicured garden surrounding him. The image plays with perceived domestic bliss and alienation. In a similar way, Henrike Naumann invites questions about the much-invoked GDR nostalgia as well as dreams and ideals of Sweet Home, Alone people before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Schloss Kummerow This is a momentous exhibition providing a critical reflec- Photography Collection tion of the home and the dangers we face in existing in a Until 31 October prolonged state of isolation – both psychologically and politically. Here, viewers are asked to look inwards once again. schloss-kummerow.de

Art as Counterpoints THE FINAL FEAST

Vibha Galhotra The Final Feast (Staged Photographs), 2019–20. Archival prints on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper, book Courtesy of the artist; Nature Morte, New Delhi; and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York Photograph courtesy of the artist.

The featured image references Leonardo da Vinci’s The “Leaping across According to an article published in The Guardian in January 2021, almost a quarter of all household wealth in the UK is Last Supper (1495-1498) with silk-clad characters rendered geography and held by the richest one per cent of the population. Further in dripping jewel tones. In Galhotra’s constructed world, this history, the projects afield, it’s thought that roughly 0.6 per cent of the world’s fictional group of bourgeois individuals are aware, and per- in this Triennial population, or the 42 million richest people, hold 40 per haps solely responsible for, ecological damage caused by resist the condition cent of global wealth. Financial distribution is continuing to experiments and advancements – be it nuclear, technologi- of dreaming alone, polarise, an issue only exacerbated in the race to reach herd cal or bio tech. She continues: “In my version of the supper, and attest to the immunity, with the world’s wealthiest countries vaccinating at an elite hostess has invited a few others to celebrate their day power of art to resist. of departure by cutting a cake, resembling the blue marble We hope that this approximately 25 times the rate of other nations. exhibition will serve Vibha Galhotra (b. 1978) is a New Dehli-based concep- we call home, which they all gather round to devour.” The Final Feast is on view as part of the 2021 Asia Society as a counterpoint tual artist exploring shifting ecologies and topographies, addressing a world ravaged by globalisation, homegenisa- Triennial, New York. This year’s theme is inspired by Yoko Ono, to xenophobia.” tion and capitalism. The Final Feast (2019-2020) is the most who, in 1964, wrote: “A dream you dream alone may be a recent example of this – staged photographs in which the dream, but a dream two people dream together is a reality.” Triennial Director Michelle Yun expands: “Within the modern wealthy are placed as part of rich, satirical allegories. Galhotra expands on the project: “We, as a human society, nation-state, tribalism and rising authoritarianism have are facing endless issues, and often find ourselves standing frayed historical ties. This fracturing is mirrored within the in the theatre of the absurd, which is directed by a few modern state, with citizens increasingly clustering around elites who have overtaken the parameters of the traditional religious, gender, sexual, ethnic and class identities. Leaping nation states and whose actions subsequently dictate the across geography and history, the projects in this Triennial Asia Society Triennial socio-political fate of the masses and the existence of the resist the condition of dreaming alone and attest to the Asia Society Museum, planet itself. The Final Feast is a play on the suggested world power of art to resist. During this unprecedented time of New York order that creates this [in]visible waste to solve the constant racism and discrimination against Asian Americans, we hope Until 27 June question of “Existantia” without realising that we are dancing that this exhibition will serve as a wider counterpoint to the directly on top of the coloniser’s utopian manifesto/s.” xenophobia that is occurring across the USA and beyond.” asiasociety.org/triennial

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10 to See RECOMMENDED EXHIBITIONS THIS SEASON

For our summer suggestions, as the world reckons with newly vaccinated populations and opening public spaces, the gallery is invented anew and we embrace a redefinition of “normal.” Be inspired by thriving microcosms, interactive installations and QR-led engagement.

Olafur Eliasson: Life Fondation Beyeler, Riehen | Until 31 July

fondationbeyeler.ch “I work to create a space of coexistence among those involved in and affected by the exhibition, the art institution, my artwork, the visitors and other beings that join in. Through collectively exploring the world we share, we can, I hope, make it liveable for all.” Fondation Beyeler opens a landmark exhibition of Danish-Icelandic Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967), open any time of day to the public, and without doors or windows. Viewers are offered an artificially vivid pond and an overflowing microcosm, where the gallery space is indiscernible from a greenhouse.

We Change the World NGV Melbourne | Until 19 September

ngv.vic.gov.au Continuing with a proven track record of diverse programming and inquisitive cultural engagement as a leading institution, NGV Melbourne considers how art can inspire tangible change, with a show focused on four key thematic sections: The Environment, Activism, The Everyday and The Future. The exhibition includes an innovative and specially designed QRcode voting system and microsite that encourages visitors to be an active part of a discussion – reflecting upon entrenched inequalities, humanitarian injustices, culture and identity.

The Picture Library The Photographers' Gallery, London | 25 June - 26 September

thephotographersgallery.org.uk The Guardian News & Media Archive holds a wealth of photographs documenting photojournalism in the 20th century. The archive contains over 1800 boxes of photographs and negatives chronicling historical events, political and social subjects, and captures the faces of many individuals through the decades. The Photographers’ Gallery, London, explores these seminal archives, reflecting on feminism, nationalism, post-colonialism, racism, industrial relations, immigration, class and the climate crisis. Works are organised non-hierarchically.

Summer of Sound Kew Gardens, London | 9 July - 12 September

kew.org There’s a reason why natural sounds have a restorative effect on our psyche: physically altering the connections in our brain and reducing our body’s fight-or-flight instinct. As public spaces re-open, Kew Gardens is an antidote to mounting stress due to enclosure. Summer of Sound invites audiences to stop, pause and listen – to heal. The featured work here, by Estonian artist Birgit Õigus, is formed of three giant wooden megaphones, amplifying the natural sounds that often go unnoticed deep within the surrounding woodlands.

On Happiness

Wellcome Collection, London | 15 July - 27 February

wellcomecollection.org How do we define happiness? How can we seek it out, or does it come from within? Can its levels or variations be quantified or explained? These questions have, perhaps, been at the forefront of our minds over the last year, during a period of immense instability, ecological nihilism and illness, where a fear of social contact, against all our instincts, reigns supreme. From serenity to ecstasy, awe to simple comfort, Wellcome Collection examines what happiness means, and how we might look to preserve it in the years to come.

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The Measuring of Time Muzeum Susch | 5 June - 31 December

muzeumsusch.ch Laura Grisi (1939-2017) was well-known for exploring the tension between the macro and micro, between data and potential; the universal and the particular. So vast was her career, that no institution has provided an extensive retrospective to date. From neon and plexiglass to fog, wind and rain, Grisi utilised a breadth of materials, moving fluidly between conceptual and diagrammatic art. The defining thread in Grisi’s portfolio, as Muzeum Susch states, is “between choices and lack of choices.” This is an essential, genre-bending and inspiring show.

Elle Pérez

Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh | Until 22 August

cmoa.org "Instead of attempting to untangle the ties between my gender identity, kink, sexuality, and ideas of pleasure and pain, I navigate these complexities.” Elle Pérez’s subjects alternate between gazing straight at the camera and out at the viewer, candidly participating in the moment being captured. The artist provides vignettes as intimate moments – with a radical reclamation and refined understanding of the lens. Agency, vulnerability, intimacy and complexity prevail as themes across the images – as well an embrace of queerness.

The Yanomami Struggle Barbican, London | 17 June - 29 August

barbican.org.uk Claudia Andujar (b. 1931) first met the Yanomami in 1971 on a commission in the Amazon for Realidad, and quickly became fascinated by their culture. She applied for – and won – a Guggenheim grant, which allowed her to pursue an interest in the Yanomami through a more experimental approach. This sparked a life-long interest in, and devotion to, the Yanomami people. The Barbican is the latest venue for this touring show, highlighting Andujar’s commitment to both art and activism, with over 200 photographs and audio-visual installations.

London Design Biennale Somerset House, London | 1-27 June

somersethouse.org.uk "We live in an age of hyper-resonance, the consequences of which are both exhilarating and devastating. Everything we produce resonates." Eyes turn towards Somerset House as Es Devlin OBE takes the mantle, leading London Design Biennale as the 2021 Artistic Director. This year, the event is focused on the theme of Resonance – from Design in the Age of Crisis to world-class thinking on the ways we heal and work. 500 projects, hailing from over 50 countries and six continents – present brand new ideas on the future of 21st century design.

Light Upon Light Noor Riyadh Festival, Riyadh | Until 12 June

noorriyadh.sa We spend our lives immersed in ever-changing environments, where no two moments are ever quite the same. Whether it’s a cloud acting as a gauze over the sun, a glorious sunset or a total eclipse, we tend only to notice the most pronounced effects of light, and ignore the constant flux of conditions that plays out in our everyday existence. This summer, Saudi Arabia is home to a groundbreaking festival of light art, curated by representatives from the Guggenheim and Desert X, on themes from Perceiving and Projecting, Experiencing to Environmental.

1. Olafur Eliasson, LIFE, 2021. Installation view: Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, 2021. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2021 Olafur Eliasson. Photo: Pati Grabowicz. 2. Pascale Martine Tayou, Coloured stones (Pavés colorés) 2015. Granite, synthetic polymer paint on granite 121.5 x 230.0 x 191.5 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne © Suzanne Dawbarn Bequest, 2018. 3. National Front demonstration against Asian immigrants, 1970. Courtesy Guardian News & Media Archive and The Photographers' Gallery. 4. Forest Megaphones by Birgit Oigus © Tonu Tunnel. 5. University of Maryland, November 1971, Steve Budman © Steve Budman. 6. Laura Grisi, Antinebbia, 1968. Installation view outdoors in Rome, 1968. Courtesy Estate Laura Grisi and P420, Bologna 7. Elle Pérez, American, b. 1989. Tomashi and Ally I, 2019/2021, inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist and 47 Canal, Forum.084.01 frame: H: 60 x W: 46 1/2 in. (152.40 x 118.11 cm). 8. Claudia Andujar, Susi Korihana thëri swimming, Catrimani, 1972-1974. Infrared film. © Claudia Andujar 9. Cold Flux, Ben Cullen Williams. Antarctica Pavilion, London Design Biennale 2021. 10. Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirror Room - Brilliance of Souls, 2014. Mirror, wooden panel, LED, metal, acrylic panel, water 287 x 415 x 415 cm. Courtesy of Royal Commission for AlUla. Photo © Riyadh Art 2021.

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Sphere of Influence Master of the Midcentury PALM SPRINGS MODERNISM HAS INFLUENCED CULTURE FROM THE 1940S TO THE PRESENT-DAY, FROM HOCKNEY’S PAINTINGS TO THE RISE OF OPEN-PLAN ARCHITECTURE.

Architectural modernism has evolved across the globe largely since the post-war period – design concepts in favour of functionality and social community. Stark, neutral colours, and an absence of ornamentation, swaps maximalist decoration for simplification. There are, of course, many variations of modernism and its “clean line” aesthetic across the world, from the cantilevers of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater (1936) and Philip Johnson’s Glass House (1949) to the multi-coloured housing project Cité Radieuse (1952) offering, as Le Corbusier proposed, “a machine for living in.” The Coachella Valley region in southern California, from Indian Wells to Rancho Mirage, has its own particular branch of modernism referred to as “Palm Springs Modernism” – a style that has cast an elegant shadow over the contemporary spheres of art, music, cinema and architecture over the years. Here, glass, steel and stone sit in sharp contrast against cacti and entrancing blue skylines. Palm Springs’ Modernism Week (held over 10 days each February) is said to be the most popular modern architecture event in the USA, featuring more than 350 events from home and garden tours to lectures, exhibitions, music performances and fashion shows. This is a world that architect William F. Cody (1916-1978) helped to create. Born in Dayton, Ohio, he moved to California and became a licensed architect in 1946. Soon after, Cody’s CV began to expand, including a string of internationally acclaimed designs for esteemed clientele, from the Del Marcos Apartment Hotel in Palm Springs (1947) to the Haines Studio and Office in Beverly Hills (1949) and the Thunderbird Country Club complex at Rancho Mirage

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(1951). Perhaps most prominent was The Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells (1957), with the low-slung grandeur and well-proportioned grace of a Greek temple, sloped upwards to the ragged spectacle of the Santa Rosa Mountains. These early structures exhibit recurring features: uncluttered façades of brick, glass or stone spreading outwards rather than upwards from succulent-speckled desert terrain. Angular or zig-zagging lines, introduced on the vertical or horizontal plane, add an extra element of expressionism to an otherwise minimalist style rooted in international modernism. Cody’s work speaks largely to the construction of “desert modernism” – a wider mid-century paradigm that took hold in different ways across the globe during the post-war decades: from the British brutalism of Alison and Peter Smithson to the organic curvature of Oscar Niemeyer’s Brasília and the Seagram Building, New York. Architectural historian Don Choi outlines some of the key features of the Palm Springs variant in a pivotal new title, celebrating Cody’s career, published by Monacelli. In Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody, Choi states: “The Coachella Valley encouraged certain kinds of developments. The climate was very friendly to indoor / outdoor living, and encouraged an emphasis on leisure. After all, Palm Springs developed after WWII as a getaway destination for Los Angeles residents, who took advantage of the warm winters to golf, swim and play tennis. Many of Cody’s interiors were open and informal, with kitchens and dining rooms opening onto living rooms. He also designed buildings in which the interior and exterior were visually and spatially connected. Sliding glass doors

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Jennings B. and Anna Shamel Residence, Indian Wells, California, 1963.

“The Palm Springs aesthetic, as a whole, projected a lifestyle of ease and play, combatting the age of austerity following WWII. It is perhaps for these reasons that it continues to captivate us – in a consumer and image-led culture.”

Previous Page: Desert Bel Air Estates, Indian Wells, California, 1961–64. Left: Palm Springs Spa Hotel, Palm Springs, California, 1963.

allowed parties to spill out from living room to pool patio.” There was also an emphasis on light and transparency in Cody’s plans, often involving large quantities of glass, made possible by forgiving weather, which was both quintessentially modernist and realised with unique success in Palm Springs. One might say that Cody helped to create the idea of open-plan living as we think of it today – a concept for the home built around maximising light and communal areas, debunking the desire for “rooms” both public and private. Although open-plan living had been a hallmark of domestic architecture at least since Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), the idea of the home as a flowing, unfolding space, where all sections were visible from all others, came into its own in the early 1950s in the sunnier corners of North America, developing across the world. In the UK, on 11 May 1964, Terence Conran launched the first Habitat store on Fulham Road, built on the idea of affordable modern furniture and “multifunctional zones” becoming the new normal. Even today, images of slick white homes, adorned with monochrome furniture, flood Pinterest and Instagram pages. Social media perpetuates ideals that hark back to Conran and Cody. The Palm Springs aesthetic, as a whole, projected a lifestyle of ease and play, combatting the austerity and rationale that followed WWII. It is perhaps for these reasons that it continues to captivate us – in a consumer and image-led culture built on ideals and appearances. In the art world, Slim Aarons’ Poolside Gossip (1970) is one of the most sought-after images in the whole of the Getty Archive – an iconic photograph gazing over two women – a fashion model and the wife of an art dealer – as they converse next to a shimmering body of water. In the background is a desert house designed

by Cody’s contemporary Richard Neutra (1892-1970). Meanwhile, David Hockney’s wildly popular west coast poolside paintings, such as A Bigger Splash (1967), encapsulate a fascination with 1960s Californian living, depicting a built environment that is pure “desert modernism.” Two palm trees extend in the background of a block blue sky – a yellow diving board protruding from the corner – as we look out over a low-slung, glass-clad house. Splashing out on the original would set you back just under $30 million. Similarly, the dazzling architectural photography of Julius Shulman (1910-2009) offered a glimpse into mass culture across the late 20th century, so much so that pool side and fairway living has seemed a tangible if not attainable ideal for generations of Americans and a global audience. A 2008 film about Shulman, titled Visual Acoustics, celebrated his ability to capture a play of natural and built elements. Both blockbuster and independent cinema also have key modernist references, perhaps unsurprisingly given their historic connections to Palm Springs and similar resort towns. David Lynch’s suite of LA films, such as Lost Highway (1997) and Mullholland Drive (2001), evoke the dreamy opulence of California’s deserts by day and night, whilst foregrounding the sleek planes and angles that pioneers like Cody defined. As the example of Lynch might suggest, the American dream that Palm Springs epitomises has also been seen as a mirage. These ideas extend to more recent streaming culture, from the black comedy Ingrid Goes West (2017), which lampoons the influencer culture associated with selfies on Route 66 and weekend homes at Joshua Tree, to the 2020 sci-fi Palm Springs, directed by Max Barbakow, in which two strangers find themselves stuck in a Groundhog Day-like scenario,

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Desert Bel Air Estates, Indian Wells, California, 1961–64.

desperately trying to claw their way out of a desert time loop. However, the designs of Cody and his contemporaries have a value that carries beyond these contexts. “My students at Cal Poly seem to find California modernism more engaging than the US work of Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe,” Choi offers, with reference to the USA’s most famous Europeanborn 20th century architects: “perhaps because Cody’s work is more connected to the way they would like to live.” Choi highlights an important point here: the root of the Palm Springs appeal is, perhaps, in domestic spaces centred around an optimistic post-war lifestyle. The modernist movement, after all, is connected to social interaction, favouring communal environments and multi-functional spaces. In this way, the Palm Springs school adapted modernism to express a belief system that had become more ubiquitous internationally. Cody, like so many architects working today, placed the needs of the client front and centre. As Choi continues in the introduction to Master of the Midcentury: “Modernist designers in California generally showed little interest in crafting broader, theoretical arguments for architecture, preferring to deal with the circumstances at hand.” In myriad ways, “desert modernism," and Cody’s work in particular, offered a simplistic design vision that still seduces us, countering postmodernism's critique on formal excess. Cody's style is also connected to classic cars and the idealism of the Kerouac-inspired road trip, predicting many of the tastes and habits of 21st century getaway culture to remote minimal estates. This, of course, has its flipsides. Choi adds that “when Cody was working, energy was cheap, and most architects were revelling in the ability of technology to make the desert habitable.” The use of steel and other energy-

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intensive materials, of cooling systems to master inhospita- Palm Springs Spa, Palm Springs, California, 1959. ble climates like the Californian desert, and the creation of homes around the needs of motorists, are aspects of Palm Springs housing that 21st century students seek to address. On the other hand, the Palm Springs school was, in some ways, all about honouring the natural world – which explains Cody’s love of low-storied structures, often shaped to the contours of the land. Given the rise of environmentalism in the 1970s, particularly in California, and Cody’s progressive instincts, he might well have considered issues of sustainability had his career continued into today. Cody was notably interested in the experimental town of Arcosanti in Arizona, where the concept of “arcology,” combining architecture and ecology, was developed. Choi, for his part, believes that Cody “might have taken up the environmental challenge with aplomb, given his creativity and desire for constant evolution.” Indeed, Cody may well have found some intersection between elegance and ethical responsibility in 2021, combining open spaces with respect for the natural world. In any case, the use of architecture to complement natural vistas rather than dominate them seems, in retrospect, the most delightful and farsighted aspect of “desert modernism.” We can sense this from the contemporary US design Words firms, such as Walker Warner, Marmol Radziner and Richard Greg Thomas Beard, who speak of their debt to mid-century Californian design, with its emphasis on bringing greenery and the living world to the doorstep. In the same way, Choi notes, Cody liked nothing better than “seeing his buildings standing out Master of the Midcentury is against the backdrop of sky and mountain.” Beyond ideal- published by Monacelli ism, there’s lessons to be learnt in these low-slung white structures, working with, rather than against, the landscape. monacellipress.com

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Poignant Introspection Kristina Varaksina

In a sequence of self-portraits, shot throughout the pandemic, Russian-born Kristina Varaksina (b. 1981) sits against stark white backdrops, shrouded by materials – with subtle variations suggestive of time passing. In one image, plastic packaging obscures the artist’s face. In another, painted words sit sharply on the skin, manifestations of doubt. The series is claustrophobic – a 21st century take on classical painting – with Varaksina holding the viewer’s gaze unquestionably and unrelentingly. These works are an extension of the photographer’s guiding principle: to explore “the vulnerabilities, insecurities and self-searching of a woman and artist.” She places a strong focus on emotion – a desire to reflect inner worlds and empathic psychologies. It’s an approach which, in 2020, led her to be recognised by several major competitions: Portrait of Britain, LensCulture Portrait Awards and British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Humanity. kristinavaraksina.com.

Kristina Varaksina, Self-Portrait #7 (2020). Courtesy of the artist.

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Kristina Varaksina, Self-Portrait #2 (2019). CCourtesy of the artist.

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Kristina Varaksina, Selt Talk (2020). Courtesy of the artist.

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Kristina Varaksina, What Body Can Tell #1 (2020). Courtesy of the artist.

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Kristina Varaksina, What Body Can Tell #2 (2020). Courtesy of the artist.

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Kristina Varaksina, Self-Portrait. Queen (2021). Courtesy of the artist.

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Kristina Varaksina, Self-Portrait. Bubble Wrap (2020). Courtesy of the artist.

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Visual Escapism Mue Studio

Bodies of water are undeniably restorative, with their cognitive effects revered the world over. “Blue Mind” science has proven the health benefits – both physically and psychologically – of being close to oceans, rivers or even artificial beaches – being on, in, under, or simply near to water. In an age of media proliferation, can “Blue Health” be maintained through imagery alone? In lieu of “real-life” visits, is there a visual antidote to be found in the digital realm? And if so, what does it mean to pine after a world that doesn't exist? Mue Studio (Minjin Kang and Mijoo Kim) specialises in “visual escapism” – through three-dimensional image design, art direction and photography. The studio creates digital non-places that exist between fantasy and reality, exploring how artificial places might still offer refuge and solace. These serene compositions quiet the mind through rippling pools and soothing sunsets. themuestudio.com.

Mue Studio, Sentimental Vacation (2020).

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Mue Studio, Somwhere in the World (2020).

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Mue Studio, The Pantone Colour of the Year 2021 (2021).

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Mue Studio, Visual Ecapism (2021).

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Mue Studio, The Pantone Colour of the Year 2021 (2021).

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Mue Studio, Somwhere in the World (2020).

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Spatial Recalibration Robin Rhode ELEMENTS OF HIP HOP, DADA AND STREET CULTURE CAN BE FOUND IN THE WORK OF ROBIN RHODE, A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PRACTITIONER DEMOCRATISING CITY SPACES.

Robin Rhode (b. 1976) is a South African artist based in Berlin. His works are inspired by myriad sources: from antiApartheid poetry to science fiction novels, youth street culture to Duchamp. Rhode is perhaps best-known for images that turn the lens on painted murals and democratised spaces, blending a range of forms and genres with pop-colour triangles and circles, step ladders and ropes. Rhode has exhibited across the world at renowned institutions such as Haus der Kunst, Munich; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; MoMA, New York; and the Venice Biennale. His most recent show at Lehmann Maupin, London, is a departure from streetbased aesthetics into more personal realms, reflecting on the emotional and spatial restrictions enforced by the pandemic.

various sources, whether it be the Bauhaus-Archiv, or even the Gutai Art Manifesto. I might come from a geography that could seem peripheral, but my sources are global.

A: Beyond a strong sense of history and social imperative, your work also uncovers a plethora of cultural references, from Sol LeWitt’s kaleidoscopic wall drawings to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s neo-expressionist figures. What are some of your favourite artists today? Where else do you find your wider inspiration and idea generation? RR: One of my favourite artists is Francis Alÿs. I love the poetic urban interventionist nature of his practice, as well as his ability to draw animations and produce paintings that seem almost like sleight of hand. I find the work of A: One of the guiding principles behind your practice is to Kerry James Marshall to be absolutely masterful, especialconsider the landscape of a democratic post-Apartheid ly in terms of technique and studio practice. This takes an South Africa, and to examine the tangible presence and enormous amount of dedication and commitment to one’s legacy of segregation. How do you translate these early craft. The concept of depicting a body – overlooked by hisexperiences into your day-to-day practice, and how do tory – is a poignant step in re-writing the canon. I have also you think they affected your formative years as an artist? been hugely influenced by the surrealist movement, and RR: My artistic practice was formed many years ago because adore the work of Max Ernst. Marcel Duchamp, too, remains of my early childhood experiences growing up in South influential for me as an artist that rejected and questioned Africa – not that these experiences were overly traumatic. aspects of labour in the production of the art object / image. These were also lived experiences filled with humour and in- This I find completely fascinating, especially now as we live nocence. I believe that one’s personal history is intrinsically in an art market completely saturated with two-dimensional linked to the creative spirit and productive output. I do not imagery. Over the last year, I have been inspired by literary overthink it, nor do I want to be the flag-bearer for a post- sources, from South African anti-Apartheid poetry to Black apartheid South Africa. I am just really focused on making consciousness poetry in Germany by May Ayim. In many work that allows me to free my soul. My ideas jump from ways, poems are like drawings: fluid, organic and rhythmic.

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Robin Rhode, Principle of Hope, 2017 (detail). C-print. 10 parts, each: 22.05 x 27.56 inches / 56 x 70 cm; overall: 48 x 150.5 x 1.5 inches / 121.9 x 382.3 x 3.8 cm. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London.

“I find it quite intriguing that African artists must always be community orientated in their work in order to achieve credibility. In Johannesburg, I have no option but to be inclusive as many people require social support.”

Previous Page: Robin Rhode, Paradise, 2016 (detail). C-print. 8 parts, each: 23.07 x 28.58 x 1.5 inches / 58.6 x 72.6 x 3.8 cm; overall: 48.11 x 120.24 x 1.5 inches / 122.2 x 305.4 x 3.8. cm. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London.

Left: Robin Rhode, RYB, 2016 (detail). C-print. 3 parts, each: 21.69 x 28.58 inches / 55.1 x 72.6 cm; overall: 21.69 x 89.76 inches / 55.1 x 228 cm. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London.

A: In many of your series, such as Principle of Hope, RR: There is a phrase “Low-fi Hi-def” that I subscribe to. I’m lone individuals take the role of “the artist” – propped interested in “low fidelity” in terms of production and proagainst murals, holding paint-rollers or performing in cess, versus high definitions in terms of meaning, criticality front of the geometric shapes. How important is this and engagement. Even when the outcome isn’t completely sense of detachment – from yourself as the artist – and realised, the attempt is also what counts. I try to explore the impact fiction has on reality and vice versa – with real in offering this role to someone else entirely? RR: Principle of Hope takes its aesthetic inspiration from a performers acting as barometers to which the audience can public sculpture by swiss architect and designer Max Bill, relate on both physical and emotional levels. titled Endlose Treppe (Endless Steps, 1991) situated in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The sculpture, comprising 19 winding A: Your work has been defined by Lehmann Maupin as steps of granite at nearly 10 metres, represents Ernst Bloch's “strategic interventions, transforming landscapes into imphilosophy, the "principle of hope." The sky-blue painted aginary worlds.” How far do you diverge from realism? walls heighten this sense of freedom as the spiral painting RR: Living in the African diaspora creates a platform to evolves upwards towards a yet undiscovered utopia in the interrogate western vs non-western worlds. I embrace the background in suburban Johannesburg. Offering the work mystical elements set in a concretised reality, in order to to performance collaborators allows me to shift the owner- question truths and belief systems. These systems are ship of the artwork from one of exclusivity to one of com- predicated on philosophical foundations rooted in western munal inclusivity and connection. However, not all my work modernity. I create fantastical scenographies, partly inspired is community-related. I find it quite intriguing that African by the Venezuelan intellectual Arturo Uslar-Pietri, who artists must always be community-orientated in their work described "man as a mystery surrounded by realistic facts." in order to achieve credibility and criticality. Regarding my working process in Johannesburg, I have no option but to be A: Though the characters are often alone, they exist in an inclusive there as many people require social support. I have inherently social realm, visible to the outside world on tried (and failed) to support where possible. And if that aid street corners, pavements and outside buildings. What is the significance of harnessing public locations – city comes through my artwork, then by all means. environments and “free” spaces? To what extent do you A: A signature street-based aesthetic – pop colour murals build up locations to subvert their connotations? realised through concrete, graffiti, chalk and paint – RR: I try to democratise the public environment in which I pairs with wider socio-political and conceptual concerns work, but in a sense we are never free. We’re governed by and philosophies surrounding the lived experience. To our ideas. In terms of my photographic approach, I see the what degree is your practice inherently interdisciplinary? walls as my canvas, baked in autonomy. For example, with

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Robin Rhode, Paradise, 2016 (detail). C-print. 8 parts, each: 23.07 x 28.58 x 1.5 inches / 58.6 x 72.6 x 3.8 cm; overall: 48.11 x 120.24 x 1.5 inches / 122.2 x 305.4 x 3.8. cm. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London.

the work Frustum (2017), I envisage geometrical forms as inhibiting a soul or wider spirituality, with my point of inspiration coming from the literature of Polish science fiction and author Stanislaw Lem, notably the fairytale novel The Cyberiad (1965), which is about a mechanical universe inhabited by robots. In my work, the geometric form – a frustum embodying an emotional urgency – and a desire to be completed, or fulfilled, can also apply to the human condition and our emotional status within the world we inhabit. A: Your new show at Lehmann Maupin, The Backyard is My World, moves into the private, domestic space, with yards, jumpsuit-clad characters and snaking cables, mostly cast against muted concrete. These pieces are more stripped back than your brighter, graphic installations. How did the method for this new series begin? RR: Working with restriction means that you must be more inventive, more intuitive, with the materials at hand. I’ve been creating in domestic spaces for many years, transforming the backyards of my neighbours and friends into sites for artistic production. It’s more about working in a safe, comfortable environment, and then trying to transform the mundane into something magical. It’s amazing what one can encounter in a backyard. With my latest work, Proteus (2020), I wanted to test myself by going back to a location I started producing in almost 20 years ago. It is a space filled with childhood memories; innocence of the imagination is a powerful tool to probe. The process in the backyard is also a form of measurement, exercising restraint with materials and embracing restrictions. Here, I also play with Greek mythology, with Proteus, the God of elusive sea change and water bodies.

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From the name Proteus comes the adjective “protean,” meaning “versatile” or the capability to “assume many forms.” The adjective “protean” has many positive connotations and can relate to one who is exceedingly variable, prone to mutability and adaptability. These are all traits that we require to navigate and make sense of living in a Covid-19 world. A: These images are also more personalised, calling less upon found objects or other protagonists, but looking inwards, and evoking a sense of play, security, repetition, and at times, an intriguing banality. How did the images take on a new resonance during the pandemic, as we contemplated the concept of “home” with renewed curiosity? Do you feel there’s been a shift in your focus? RR: Recently, the shift has been on the reductive – to simplify and streamline ideas since we are all closer to the domestic with months of lockdowns and quarantines. I have been unable to travel and really explore locations as I used to, so the safer option is home – whether it be in my studio in Berlin or a backyard in Johannesburg. This has allowed a deeper focus on what it is that defines the “personal.” A: How will your schedule change with lockdowns lifting? RR: My solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin is being followed by a mid-career exhibition that opens at Museum Voorlinden in the Netherlands in the first week of June. Other than that, I generally have a quiet rest of the year ahead. I’m in the process of selling my studio space in Berlin, which will be a massive change for me personally. Just when I thought I would settle down, build, and root myself to one space almost eight years ago, I find myself having to recalibrate entirely.

Right: Robin Rhode, Lavender Hills, 2016 (detail). C-print. 3 parts, each: 21.69 x 28.58 inches / 55.1 x 72.6 cm; overall: 21.69 x 89.76 inches / 55.1 x 228 cm. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London.

Words Kate Simpson

Exhibitions on view at Lehmann Maupin, London, and Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar lehmannmaupin.com voorlinden.nl

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Intuitive Geometries Matthew Shlian

“Some magic is a trick; hold a card this way to palm it and it disappears. You practice and get good at it. Other magic is a long game; the needle does go through the hand, you bury a card and wait 10 years. This is the long game.” Matthew Shlian is an artist and paper engineer, innovating in the field of contemporary origami through folds, compressions and extrapolations. His work extends from drawings and large-scale installations to collaborations with leading researchers and scientists, including macro level paper-folding structures, which are then translated to the nanoscale. These intriguing works – boasting complex diagrams and cut patterns – vary massively from piece to piece, with pleats constructed through acid-free archival paper, needle points and PVA glue. Unfolding brings together a decade of work, lessons in curiosity and geometry, published by Thames & Hudson. mattshlian.com | thamesandhudson.com.

Ara 312, (40.5 × 40.5 × 1.25 cm), 98 lb (160 gsm) blue Canson paper (2019). © Matthew Shlian.

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Omoplata, 63.5 × 76 × 2.5 cm, indigo paper (2019). © Matthew Shlian.

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Omoplata, 63.5 × 76 × 2.5 cm, indigo paper (2019). © Matthew Shlian.

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Unholy 62 (detail), 122 × 122 × 10 cm, 80 lb text (120 gsm) iridescent sapphire paper (2018) © Matthew Shlian.

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Unholy (Stagger), 152.5 × 152.5 × 10 cm, 98 lb (160 gsm) indigo Canson paper, (2017) © Matthew Shlian.

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Omoplata 11, 45.5 × 45.5 × 2.5 cm, turquoise paper (2019) © Matthew Shlian.

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P16 Unholy 92 (Open your eyes and close your hands) (detail), 122 × 122 × 10 cm, gouache on 100 lb text (150 gsm) white paper (2018) © Matthew Shlian.

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Omoplata 5 (detail) 42 × 24 × 2 in (106.5 × 61 × 5 cm), lithography gradient on Somerset paper (2019) © Matthew Shlian.

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Omoplata 5 (detail) 42 × 24 × 2 in (106.5 × 61 × 5 cm), lithography gradient on Somerset paper (2019) © Matthew Shlian.

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Omoplata, 66 × 66 × 2.5 cm, 100 lb text (150 gsm) white paper (2019) © Matthew Shlian.

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Omoplata 1, 66 × 101.5 × 5 cm, 80 lb cover (215 gsm) white paper (2018) ©Matthew Shlian.

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Cultural Investigation Underexposed HIGH MUSEUM, ATLANTA, HAS A LAUDABLE AIM: TO CONFRONT GENDER IMBALANCE IN PHOTOGRAPHY. THIS IS A RADICAL EXAMINATION OF INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAMMING.

“When I arrived at the High in 2015, the Museum faced a difficult truth: our exceptional collection and world-class architecture could not exclusively make us essential within the diverse and growing city that we call home. That realisation forced us to change. We embraced inclusivity as a value and as a measurable objective.” So writes Rand Suffolk, Director of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, in his introduction to the Museum’s recent report into Art and Inclusion. Putting the years 2015-2020 under the microscope, the report outlines the High’s efforts to ensure its collections, programming, audience and staff are fully representative. The fact the document exists is progress, as are initiatives such as a comprehensive rehang of the permanent collection in 2018, which embraced “growth and diversity through storytelling.” However, as Suffolk also writes: “we’re aware that we’ve not achieved the full measure of change to which we aspire.” The Metro Atlanta area’s population is made up of 49 per cent white individuals and 51 per cent Black, Indigenous citizens or people of colour, yet 80 per cent of the permanent collection on display is by white artists; just nine per cent of that permanent show is by women. It’s against this backdrop that the High’s new exhibition is taking place – the largest of its kind at the institution, with more than 100 pieces from the museum’s holdings, all by women, some never shown before. Underexposed includes established greats such as Ilse Bing, an innovator and “New Woman” of the 1930s, whose practice was defined by flat planes and strong shadows in the inter-war period, characteristic of Frankfurt’s growing avantgarde scene. Alongside Bing are the likes of Magnum Photos

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members Susan Meiselas, who shot to fame making pictures of carnival strippers in Pennsylvania, with bare bodies and questions of performance, vulnerability and reclamation rising to the surface. She went on to work in 1970s Nicaragua, with powerful depictions of the revolution and the Somoza regime. Her images of resistance, insurrection, and a climactic farewell to autocracy feels relevant once more. Amongst those setting the groundwork are less familiar (but nonetheless noteworthy) names, such as Sheila Pree Bright, Mickalene Thomas and Jill Frank. And whilst this radical exhibition stands as a well-needed correction, what emerges isn’t the worthy sense of a museum dutifully “fulfilling its quota.” Instead, it’s a vibrant re-imagining of photography, with an intense investigation of identity. Jill Frank notes: “I was struck by the way this show simply reveals a history without a male perspective altogether. Photography, more than other artistic media, was historically relegated to those with access, means and privilege. The art world is characterised by institutional misogyny, but this show avoids a reductive critique. The way it is curated offers an alternative version of the past, taking viewers from the 1800s to our present moment without the canonised conventional perspective of the white male.” Underexposed was conceived by Sarah Kennel, the Donald and Marilyn Keough Family Curator of Photography, and Maria L. Kelly, Curatorial Assistant of Photography, and both were keen to show that women have been involved with images from their inception – not just rewriting the narrative retrospectively or “filling in the gaps.” Such examples include Anna Atkins, who created groundbreaking botanical

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Jill Frank, everyone who woke up at the yellow house, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.

“The art world is characterised by institutional misogyny, but this exhibition avoids a reductive critique. The way it is curated offers an alternative version of the past, without the canonised perspective of the white male.”

Previous Page: Jill Frank, everyone who woke up at the yellow house, 2016. Courtesy of the artist. Left: Jill Frank, everyone who woke up at the yellow house, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.

There is also a broad section on portraiture and self-porcyanotypes way back in 1843. Light and simple chemical processes resulted in impressively detailed blueprints of traiture, subverting the prevailing masculine and heterospecimens, from algae to ferns, and pushed the connec- sexual perspective of women’s bodies in the art world. “That section focuses on images of girls and women, made by tions between art and science in considered ways. In its bulk, however, Underexposed is divided into two girls and women, from photojournalism and civil rights to halves. The first half includes a section which runs from portraiture and conceptual works,” says Kelly. “It does pose 1920 to the 1950s, and features Margaret Bourke-White, the question if there is a ‘female gaze’ present, but we leave Dorothea Lange and Imogen Cunningham, who broke that up to the viewer to decide. Rather than dictate who is through when advancements in photography, media and a suitable model or keep with established norms of women feminism meant they had a fighting chance to do so. This as models, we instead invite you to consider how the conhalf also includes a section on the technical and concep- ditions of making a work, including the gender identity of tual innovations made by women artists from the 1970s to artist and subject, shape and condition what you see.” This includes photojournalist Kael Alford, for example, the present-day, and includes practitioners such as Barbara Kasten and Sheila Pinkel alongside innovative contempo- who was in Iraq at the start of the war in 2003, and often depicted women; her access was very different to that of raries such as Meghann Riepenhoff and Elizabeth Turk. The second half takes a slightly different approach, her male counterparts, simply by virtue of her assigned pinpointing personal, social and cultural dimensions of sex. This section also includes Doris Derby’s Grass Roots gender and identity in the last 50 years. There’s a mini sec- Organizer, Mississippi (1968), however, an image showing tion on domesticity and feminine ideals, for example, which a woman actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement, emerged as Kelly and Kennel looked through the High’s which has an important history in Atlanta. The subject is collection and found that the home recurred as a subject politically active in the moment, very far from the archefor women photographers – a reflection of the ongoing type of an objectified model presented for (male) titillation. This section also includes a piece by Mickalene Thomas gender imbalance in domestic work, and on the ideologies surrounding the home’s interiors as a distinctly feminine titled Les Trois Femmes Deux (2018) however, which referspace. Julie Moos’ 2001 Domestic (Betty and Toni) shows ences Édouard Manet’s The Luncheon on the Grass (1863) two women side-by-side, one Black and the other white; it’s but replaces the two (clothed) white men and (naked) white left to the viewer to consider their relationship. Sheila Pree women with three glamorously dressed, confidently posing Bright’s Suburbia series (2008) shows interiors of Black- Black women. It’s part of a wider project in which Thomas owned homes around the Atlanta area, giving a platform takes icons of art history and destabilises them, quite literto the multi-ethnic middle class, and African American sub- ally putting Black femininity and sexuality into the picture. Jill Frank, meanwhile, launches a very different converurbia – a landscape traditionally excluded from the media.

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Jill Frank, everyone who woke up at the yellow house, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.

sation on photography and power, one that questions re- ferent takes, and neither one has compositional authority. ceived conventions of both portraiture and societal values. At the same time, their sheer scale valorises the moments. Frank makes important assertions on democracy and the Frank focuses on adolescents – subjects she finds compelling precisely because they haven’t yet found fixed identi- ethics of documentation through imagery. “Big fancy porties. “As we grow older, we learn to close up a bit, but youth- traits are usually made of established professionals, but I ful people are more open – more in flux. From childhood think lives of everyday youth are equally important. I am to adulthood, through hormonal and physical challenges drawn to under-celebrated moments of social victory and and mood shifts, there are so many ‘firsts’ and so many defeat. I purposefully interact with subjects that could be surprises in youth. It seems like your body and mind are considered superficial or culturally recognisable, banal always in motion and open to change. Photography has or clichéd. I think photographs can contradict, loosen, or the ability to reveal the nuance, beauty and unease of ado- challenge the preconceived notions about different people, lescence. Conventional portraits are so fixed, so authorita- places and activities. I am taking ‘serious’ portraits of a tive – I like the idea of using that formality to document a scenes that are, quite often, viewed as trivial.” It’s a deceptively simple premise with far-reaching imdemographic in a constant state of change.” Frank has two portraits in Underexposed, both of the same plications – Frank’s piece is informed by Pierre Bourdieu’s young woman, and both shot in Athens, under 100 miles concept of habitus and 1950s American sociology of defrom Atlanta. The portraits come from her 2016 series, viance, both of which consider social status, who has the everyone who woke up at the yellow house, which shows 20 power to decide what’s important, and why. These are portraits of 10 young people starting their day after a night questions intimately related to Underexposed, and to the of drinking and partying, two pictures per individual. The ongoing work at both the High and at other pivotal cultural youngsters are tired from their exertions, too tired to strike institutions in 2021, as they – in timely fashion – seek to a pose, yet at the same time their expressions are constant- question their conventions and collections anew. High Museum's Sarah Kennel continues: “Recent events ly on the move. A young woman picked out by the High is visibly upset in one image, for example, more stoic in the – the US election of 2016, women’s marches, the rapid growth of the Black Lives Matter movement – have made other. Distress, pain, anguish and uncertainty reign. Frank shows these two images, and the other pairs in the all institutions recognise that we can’t keep kicking the can series, as large-scale, double-sided portraits – canonising down the road and that incremental progress is not enough. scenes which might otherwise be considered unimportant, But beyond acknowledging that institutions must change, but at the same time, suggesting that traditional, one-shot there’s no consensus yet on how to do that exactly. Creatportraits convey a fake monumentality. In her installations, ing programming that centres voices that have been tradiyou have to walk around the whole frame to see the two dif- tionally marginalised is only one small piece within this.”

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Right: Jill Frank, everyone who woke up at the yellow house, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.

Words Diane Smyth

Underexposed High Museum of Art, Atlanta Until 1 August high.org

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art

Colour as Language Tekla Evelina Severin

Tekla Evelina Severin (b. 1981) is a Stockholm-based colourist, designer and photographer. She is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of Toniton – a new “colour brand” launched in late 2020, focused on the creation of six matching palettes for circulation within the home. Here you will find a smorgasbord of colours and forms, with a range of playful tones spread across walls, counter tops and furnishings. Dusky pinks, forest greens and pale yellows reflect a new interpretation of space, co-ordination and composition – presenting a radical redefinition of the home reminiscent of The Memphis Group and its legacy, from Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) to Martine Bedin (b. 1957). Severin was recently listed in Dezeen’s top 10 architectural photographers. Her clients include Vogue, NCS Colour Institute, Ikea, Sight Unseen, Adobe Photoshop, Levi’s, Another Magazine, Elle and Institut Kunst Basel, amongst others. teklaevelinaseverin.com | toniton.com.