Maia Flore has developed a reputation for constructing dreamworlds where figures fly, balance and bend. She brings magic to life. This image is almost Hitchcockian, showing a dramatically lit figure, in a red jumpsuit, bounding towards the camera. What are they running to? Or from? (p. 96)
Welcome
Editor’s Note
The transience of everything is as startling as it is awe-inspiring. Each day is a new day. There’s power in reinvention and its profound ability to transform lives and societies. It embodies the courage to let go of the past and embrace new possibilities, driving innovation. It allows us to break free from limiting beliefs, adapt to changing environments and pursue our passions with vigour. At Aesthetica we have a saying: “It’s only an idea away.” I take so much from those five words. They enable me to have energy and resilience. There is always a solution to any problem – we just need to think of a way over, under or around it.
This issue celebrates humanity’s creative impulse. Anthony McCall’s Solid Light opens this summer at Tate Modern. McCall is known for genre-bending installations that occupy a space between sculpture, cinema, drawing and performance. In 1973, his seminal work Line Describing a Cone redefined the possibilities of sculpture. This September PST ART returns to Getty, Los Angeles, with 800 artists and 70 exhibitions. It asks: what happens when art and science collide? We’re very honoured to speak with Ruth Wallen about the Walking with Trees project, looking at how forests respond to urbanisation, globalisation and climate change. Next, we chat with Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban about his Paper Tube Emergency Shelters. He is lauded for “curiosity, commitment, endless innovation, an infallible eye and acute sensibility.” We hear from Laure Winants, an artist and researcher, who set up studio in the heart of the Arctic ice pack, embarking on a four-month-long polar expedition. In photography, we set off on experimental journeys and take the possibilities of what image-making can and should be to new heights with Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Karine Laval, Marta Djourina, Natalia Klimza and Svante Gullichsen. We are also excited to present the work of our cover photographer Maia Flore. Finally, the Last Words go to Maëlle Dufour, in partnership with Visit Flanders.
Cherie Federico
Cover Image: Maia Flore, Constellation, (2021).
Image courtesy of the artist.
18 News
The story of modern Ireland is told through photography, and a striking Viviane Sassen retrospective arrives at Foam in Amsterdam.
38 Emotive Landscapes
Svante Gullichsen positions himself amidst the vast forces of nature, reflecting on selfcare and acceptance through his portraits.
68 Portraits Interrupted
Faces are obstructed and obscured by threedimensional shapes in Natalia Klimza's body of work, which plays with colours and forms.
96 Into the Sunlight
Maia Flore has cultivated a reputation from constructing dreamworlds where figures fly, balance and bend – bringing magic to life.
Reviews
126 Exhibition Reviews
We visit Bruges to experience the city's mustsee triennial, and check out Judy Chicago's seminal Revelations show, open in London.
Books
135 The Latest Publications
Photography and sculpture are the subjects of this issue's book reviews, from The World Atlas of Public Art to Louis Stettner's archive.
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
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Gallery & Specialist Distribution: Central Books.
Printed by Warners Midlands plc.
28 10 to See
This issue's top picks include the Serpentine Pavilion, Venice Biennale and an immersive installation by Steve McQueen in New York.
50 Building Responsibly
Shigeru Ban, a Pritzker Prize-winning architect, speaks about his new book, charting a notable career marked by innovation and compassion.
78 Nature Distorted
French-American photographer Karine Laval visits gardens across Europe and the USA to produce hallucinatory views of their plants.
108 Calling for Action Artists, scientists and activists champion the iconic Joshua tree in a rallying cry for much wider environmental and cultural awareness.
32 Genres Intertwine
A major Tate Modern exhibit recounts how, in 1973, Anthony McCall shook up the art world by stripping cinema back to its fundamentals.
56 Analogue Experiment
How do natural and artificial lights manipulate photo-sensitive media? Marta Djourina traces movements, gestures and objects onto paper.
90 Path to Knowledge
Laure Winants, an interdisciplinary artist and researcher, studies Arctic sea ice – presenting thousands of years' history in a single frame.
114 Question of Reality
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo makes simulated views driven by the psychology that's behind how we interpret what is, or isn't, a real landscape.
131 Film
Girls Will Be Girls puts women's experiences front-and-centre, whilst Sky Peals shows us the enduring power of shooting on 35mm.
Artists’ Directory
142 Featured Practitioners
This is the place to discover a whole host of contemporary artists who are making work now, engaging with key ideas and themes.
The Aesthetica Team:
Editor: Cherie Federico
Creative Producer: Eleanor Sutherland
Content Creator: Emma Jacob
Junior Content Creator: Diana Bestwish Tetteh
Media Sales & Partnerships Manager: Megan Hobson
Artists’ Directory Manager: Katherine Smira
Production Director: Dale Donley
Operations Manager: Helen Osbond
Projects Administrator: Fruzsina Vida
Contributors:
Diana Bestwish Tetteh
Eleanor Sutherland
Emma Jacob
Frances Johnson
Vamika Sinha
Reviewers: Alexander Stubbs, Anna Müller, Diana Bestwish Tetteh, Eitan Orenstein, Emma Jacob, Fruzsina Vida, James Mottram, Katie Tobin, Kyle Bryony, Matt Swain, Michael Piantini, Megan Hobson, Rachel Pronger, Shirley Stevenson
133 Music
Jon Hopkins presents Ritual, Tindersticks releases its 14th album, and Why Bonnie introduces a brand new genre to the mix.
Last Words
146 Maëlle Dufour
Farming in the North of France serves as the inspiration for a silo sculpture at Beaufort24, asking visitors to question: what is progress?
Fotomuseum, Den Haag | From 31 August fotomuseumdenhaag.nl
Gold is an age-old symbol of beauty, power and wealth. The fact that we continue to see it as highly valuable, even today, prompts the question: why has it been so significant throughout history? British artist and researcher Lisa Barnard (b. 1967) looks at various answers in her latest project, The Canary and . In the wake of the 2008 financial crash, Barnard reflected on “the western world’s determination to accumulate wealth” and the role of this metal in our “ruthless endeavour for progress.” She travelled across four continents over four years to document the troubled history of the prized ore and the complex ways in which it intersects with the global economy. The element can be found everywhere – from computers and mobile phones to renewable solar cells and NASA spacecrafts. One image spotlights a motherboard in saturated shades of cyan, green and pink. The piece speaks to the presence of the metal in common electrical devices like cameras or TVs. Only 22.3 percent of e-waste is recycled; the rest ends up in landfill, often in developing countries, where people risk exposure to toxic substances whilst attempting to extract the material to sell. Elsewhere, we see how gold has helped us reach new frontiers through a spectrograph planted on the moon. The apparatus was first used in the 1972 Apollo 16 mission to take ultraviolet images of solar winds, gas clouds, galaxy clusters and more. Barnard’s investigation shines a light on the long-established and far-reaching story of gold, as well as its entanglement with the issues of capitalism, colonialism and the climate emergency.
Infinite Creativity
PHOSPHOR: ART & FASHION
Foam, Amsterdam | From 21 September foam.org
Viviane Sassen (b. 1972) masterfully traverses the worlds of fashion and fine art. Over the past 30 years, we've seen the photographer's work everywhere, from the walls of the Rijksmuseum and Maison Européenne de la Photographie to the pages of Dazed and i-D and the campaigns of Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton. Her wide-ranging practice has broken down boundaries, and is as at home on gallery walls as in magazines. Today, many creatives are embracing a similar approach; Djeneba Aduayom, Iris van Herpen and Tyler Mitchell are known for bending genres.
A quintessential Sassen shot is characterised by saturated hues, intense chiaroscuro and unique depictions of the human body. All three elements come together in her numerous brand campaigns, including 2017's collaboration with Adidas x Pharrell. Here, the subject dances with her own shadow amidst vibrant surroundings. Other recognisable works include the Eudocimus Ruber collage, which comes from the Of Mud and Lotus collection. It offers the viewer a glimpse of a figure who is mostly hidden beneath layers of scarlet feathers and pale green fabric. These images form part of a landmark survey of Sassen’s impressive oeuvre at Foam, Amsterdam. PHOSPHOR: Art & Fashion is the artist's first large-scale retrospective in her home country, The Netherlands. The exhibition presents over 200 prints, paintings and videos, highlighting the breadth of a trailblazer who is constantly experimenting with new concepts and techniques. It's a celebration of a truly visionary creative, who uses the camera “like a portal into infinite parallel universes and unknown worlds.”
Modern Perspective
CHANGING STATES
Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin | Until 11 August hausamkleistpark.de
Changing States is the first major group exhibition to tackle the transformation of Ireland through photography. Here, 34 artists paint a picture of the first decades of the 21st century by focusing in on socio-political developments, ranging from different cultural identities to social reform. History is notoriously slippery and hard to visualise. This show highlights how different photographic approaches are being used to retell these stories. In Altar, Pauline Rowan depicts a branch sprouting from her rib, as she lies lifeless on a table. The scene is a visual metaphor for the ways in which Irish culture and religion have shifted in recent years. It is part of the series Under a Vaulted Sky (2018 - present), which centres on a deconsecrated convent that was built in 1806. Despite falling into disrepair and awaiting demolition, the building has been “repurposed” in creative ways by its tenants. Rowan explains: “It was as if those whom the convents would have strived to keep out were now inside. The place itself functioned as a home to many, and it seemed a good space for them to use; a new community living in remnants of an old one.”
Also featured is Jackie Nickerson, who offers a psychological portrait of her coastal hometown, Louth. Ten Miles Round is fixed on rural landscapes and loved-ones. Seamus Murphy shares The Republic, a similar project but one that pans out to look at the whole country in order to preserve a visual record of “what had changed and what was not going to last forever.” Changing States is testament to the power that images hold, whether documentary or conceptual, to interrogate past, present and future.
Visual Journeys
FEELS LIKE HOME
Kiasma, Helsinki | Until 12 January kiasma.fi
The UN’s Migration Report 2024 estimates that 281 million people have moved countries – a massive 128 million increase since 1990. This begs the question: how does someone find a sense of belonging whilst surrounded by new cultures, languages and people? Feels like Home, now on view at Kiasma, is a group show that addresses this through works from 50 artists. Niina Lehtonen Braun (b. 1975) examines identity by looking at the impact of upbringing. Mother Said consists of maternal advice gathered over a period of five years. Inventive multimedia collages visualise sayings that range from “eat only from your own plate” to “life is too short for bad wine.” There's also Cildo Meireles’ (b. 1948), whose Babel sculpture references the Biblical Old Testament story. It is a tower of stacked radios, reminiscent of Nam June Paik’s iconic TV installation, The More the Better The cacophony of so many voices speaking at the same time in different languages reflects the breadth of the human experience. Also on display is the Suites Francaises series, from lauded artist Elina Brotherus (b. 1972). In one shot, she faces the camera with a yellow post-it over her knuckles that says the French word for hand – “la main.” When the Finnish photographer moved to France in her early twenties, she tried to learn the language by plastering objects with translations – “la chaise”, “le matelas” and “des livres.” This project follows her journey from being an outsider to calling the country her adopted home. Here, visual art is harnessed as a tool to communicate what it means, and how it really feels, to traverse cultural and national boundaries.
Elina Brotherus, from the series Suites francaises
.
Photo: Petri Virtanen / Finnish National Gallery.
itself as an expansive festival unafraid to ask the big questions.
10 to See
RECOMMENDED EXHIBITIONS THIS SEASON
This season’s picks, taking place throughout August and September, explore ideas of nation hood and identity. These shows ask about what it means to belong, surveying the lasting affects of historical oppression and the way that modern society is shaped by these legacies.
1F LÓÐ
Reykjavik Art Museum | Until 8 September listasafnreykjavikur.is
Each of Jónsi's works is a comprehensive world, in which space, sound, light and smell form an unbroken whole. In FLÓÐ (Flood), nature is at the fore – as both a subject and material. The artist takes inspiration from tides, daylight and tectonics, but also from breathing and the flow of the body. Audiences are invited to consider the deep connection between humanity and the environment, as well as how we are destroying it. Moreover, the influence of a 30-year career in music with Sigur Rós is clear; audio is vital to the engineering of these installations.
2 Stories of Women
Manchester Art Gallery | Until 5 January manchesterartgallery.org
Women undertake 75% of unpaid work worldwide. This includes caring for children, sick or elderly relatives and managing household tasks. But how does this influence employment and access to opportunities? In this exhibition, we hear testimonies from women aged 50 and over, as they reflect on the discrimination they’ve faced. Artist and curator Suzanne Lacy foregrounds their experiences to shine a light on how issues of age, class, disability, gender and race all affect work. Uncertain Futures combines art and activism to demand social change.
3
A rchipelagic Void
Serpentine, London | Until 27 October serpentinegalleries.org
The 23rd Serpentine Pavilion stems from the idea of an archipelago – a chain of islands scattered across a body of water. Korean architect Minsuk Cho has produced five buildings, each stretching out from an empty "void." It is inspired by a “mandang”, which is a courtyard found in traditional Korean homes. The structures invite visitors to engage with culture, from thumbing through a collection of donated books, to climbing on the bright orange netscape of the Play Tower. The Pavilion forms a space for connection that is rooted in Korean values.
4
B ass
Dia Beacon, New York | Until 14 April diaart.org
Renowned artist and director Steve McQueen has expanded the possibilities of film for more than 30 years. Now, he brings together its two most fundamental components – light and sound – to provide an immersive experience. It is inspired by Afro-diasporic music created by communities forced into slavery, and the composition reminds us of McQueen’s commitment to foregrounding Black history. Sound and light bounce off the walls. This is a work designed to upend viewers' perceptions of space and time. It is meant to be both seen, and actively felt.
5Dean West
Camera Work, Berlin | Until 17 August camerawork.de
Miami Beach-based photographer Dean West crafts intricate, highly staged photographs that reconstruct the everyday to reveal something otherworldly. He manipulates colour and symmetry in hyperreal images that are reminiscent of paintings by David Hockney and Edward Hopper. Social issues, American cultures and human relationships form a throughline in his work. The latest series, American West, is about cowboys in California. The Palms, meanwhile, visualises Floridian life. West blurs the line between documentation and invention.
6
Great Escape
Clervaux Cité de L'image, Luxembourg | Until 6 October clervauximage.lu
A painted figure blends in with sand dunes. Two bodies create a geometric pattern in front of a vivid blue sky. Purple legs emerge from a bush. Sanja Marušić takes the self-portrait and builds something that is abstract and sculptural, producing images that at are at once deeply personal and distinctly surreal. Bold, saturated colours are the hallmark of her work, appearing in scenes that represent the multilayered experience of being a woman. Each picture seeks to visualise a new phase or stage of her life, illuminated by sunlight and shadow.
7
Moments in Architecture
ICO Foundation, Madrid | Until 8 September fundacionico.es
“I always want to tell the story of a place. So, I have to get to know the context.” Iwan Baan is a key figure in architectural photography thanks to his desire to firmly root a building within its context. His projects range from major buildings like Taipei Performing Arts Center to smaller conceptual structures, that are temporary yet still visually striking He has worked with architects including Herzog & de Meuron and the late Zaha Hadid. His images capture a building's workers and inhabitants and document the moment that architecture comes alive.
8 Site Lines
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea | Until 1 September dlwp.com
Colour, light and shadow have been at the heart of Barbara Kasten’s work for more than 40 years. Here, she reimagines the gallery’s windows as proscenium – the part of a stage in front of the curtain. She uses acrylic beams, mirrors and metal propped up against the glass, as well as gradual weather and lighting changes, to produce a kaleidoscopic experience. These arrangements have echoes of Kasten’s roots as a painter and sculptor, and showcase how she has influenced a generation of contemporary artists working with geometry and abstraction.
9
I nside Views
WestLicht, Vienna | Until 11 August westlicht.com
A repressive autocracy. A global player. An economic superpower with a thirst for expansion. The European perception of China is characterised by both criticism and fascination. But how do Chinese artists see themselves? And what do their personal views tell us about society as Inside Views can expect works from influential figures like Zhang Huan and Luo Yang, as well as provocative new voices such as Chen Ronghui. Each artist offers us a unique insight into China during a period of rapid economic growth and radical social change.
nice Biennale 2024
Various locations, Venice | Until 24 November
The 2024 Venice Biennale is titled Foreigners, Everywhere. It is a celebration of difference, and a recognition that every person is a stranger somewhere. British artist John Akomfrah uses the act of listening to reflect ideas of memory and migration, whilst Ethiopia's first National Pavilion showcases the work of Tesfaye Urgessa. Elsewhere, Robert Zhou Renhui’s Seeing focuses on Singapore's natural landscape and invites us to consider how humans alter the environment. The result is an ecosystem of migrant species mirroring the city’s population.
IN 1973, AN ARTIST SHOOK UP THE ART WORLD BY STRIPPING CINEMA RIGHT BACK TO ITS FUNDAMENTALS. NOW, HIS WORK IS FINDING NEW MEANING IN A DIGITAL AGE.
When we think of the 1960s and 1970s, the word “counterculture” might spring to mind. It’s a period of modern history that is synonymous with cultural transformation, witnessing pivotal social and political shifts across the world. From second wave feminism and the civil rights movement to student protests, anti-apartheid activism and global decolonisation efforts, this moment in history marks huge milestones that still resonate today. It was a time when the definition of “progress” was being pushed and tested, with the Cold War, space race, moon landing and the development of computer systems shaking up what it meant to be human. Creative output responded in kind; this was an era of true experimentation, where avant-garde music and protest poetry blossomed as a response to these rapid global transformations. Artworks became increasingly conceptual, minimalist, performance-based, technological, satirical or simply gargantuan-in-scale. Names like Marina Abramović and Yoko Ono, now so familiar, were explosive. Land Art emerged, as did Pop Art. The core theme threading them all was reinvention: the notion that you could take something you saw every day and bring it into sharp focus. Much like the problematic politics many were resisting, it was about turning mundane materials inside out and making them impossible to ignore. Light was one such medium, and British artist Anthony McCall has long been its champion. His seminal work, Line Describing a Cone (1973), drew a new blueprint for what “sculpture” could be. Born in 1946, McCall trained in graphic design and photography at the Ravensbourne College of Art and Design in Kent during the mid-to-late 1960s. McCall
remembers the absence of technology and the sense of distance that came with it; connections between cities took much longer and phone calls abroad were expensive. It was still, however, a time teeming with the undercurrents of change and innovation, and this was thrilling for a young artist starting out. “We were all following our noses and trying to make interesting work. I did a lot of performances, which usually involved photography. I would make sculptural events that would be composed through the lens of a 35mm camera.”
But what exactly is a “sculptural event”? “It goes back to 1972, when I made a large-scale performance called Landscape for Fire, which took place on a disused airfield in North Weald and involved a grid of very carefully organised fires. I decided I needed to make a film of that performance, otherwise it would disappear. It was the first film I made, but during the editing I became interested in the gap between the film of the performance and the performance itself.” This conundrum led McCall to ask himself: “Would it be possible to make a film that was a performance in itself, rather than being a record of another?” He went back to the drawing board, choosing to approach moving-image differently this time. Instead, he broached the avant-garde – stripping the medium down to its corseting and bones. His sources of influence were Andy Warhol’s Empire (1965), which comprises one shot of the Empire State Building from evening until 3am the next day, and Michael Snow’s Wavelength (1967), a 45-minute zoom of a photograph on a wall. Studying works like these, alongside the glowing shaft of light that radiated from film projectors, led McCall to arrive at a turning point.
statement written to the judges of the Fifth International Experimental Film Competition, he said: “Rather than treating the light beam as a mere carrier of coded information … the work deals with one of the irreducible, necessary conditions of film: projected light. It addresses this phenomenon directly, independently of other considerations. It is the first film to exist in real, three-dimensional space.” It was a breakthrough. But then, suddenly, it came to an end. An exhibition at Documenta 6 in 1977 would be McCall’s last for two-and-a half decades. The artist came to a realisation: the original atmosphere of these works could not be re-created in pristine, white cube gallery spaces. McCall had shown Line Describing a Cone at Konsthallen in Lund, Sweden. But in place of the hazy New York fog, there was only aggressively clean, near-sterile museum air. The sculpture no longer breathed but lay motionless and cold. A recent profile in The Guardian reported that McCall, aghast, rushed out and returned with three cigarettes burning at once in his mouth in an attempt to revive the work, but was escorted off the premises. He tried other things – like dry ice and frankincense – but fell into a “wilderness" with the sudden lack of belief in his own medium. Utterly shaken, McCall returned to his graphic design roots and instead made artist books for Richard Serra and the like for over 20 years. He made no art during this hiatus. Then, at the dawn of the new millennium, the itch got unbearable. Doubling Back (2003) was McCall’s 21st century reimagining of the solid light concept. The artist had been attracted back into the fold by the artistic potential of emerging technologies: haze machines could improve visibility by adding
mist to the air, giving solid light works a more tactile quality, whilst digital projectors offered new possibilities. McCall continued to develop his practice on the back of the new artistic language in Line Describing a Cone. "When I returned, we were in the digital realm. There was the question of how to start again. I discovered things in the early work that I hadn't seen before. Like how the projected forms almost seemed alive in an kind of biological way, which I'd never noticed ... I wanted to find ways to use these solid light works as a means of describing the body or relationships within the body,” he says. Major institutional shows poured in, where dust and cigarettes were traded in for artificial fog, as did accolades, critical texts and monographs. McCall’s list of exhibitions reads like a who's who of major art destinations: Centre Pompidou, Museum of Modern Art, Serpentine Galleries, Tate Modern, The Whitney Museum of Art, In 2016, he won a prestigious Arts and Letters Award. “I'd like to think I got better at it,” McCall says about the work he made in those career peaks.
Now, Doubling Back is part of Solid Light, a new retrospective at London’s Tate Modern comprising five chronological installations spanning 1972 - 2018. Landscape of Fire is the opener, leading to a smaller room of drawings and wall text, before unfurling into the cavernous, dark space of McCall’s iconic as well as post-hiatus light works. At first glance, the room is intimidating. Until one realises how much fun everybody is having. Families dive in and out of beams of light, gape, sit, hold each other, twirl their fingers across projections and dip their thumbs into shadows as if in search of candy in a jar. This is McCall’s first major show for the Tate in 50 years. Children come and sit in his old and new pools of light, awestruck at what becomes visible in these touchable
cascades. McCall’s practice is finding new nuances amidst the racing pulse of technological development, whilst retaining a solidity and verve that had been silent for so many years. “Things are changing again. I've got one piece in the Tate show, which uses a mirror to deflect the beam of light. That's a very important shift,” he shares. “I'm also exploring sound.” Going forward, the artist wants to work outdoors and delve into architecture, all of which are major departures from light work. "Maybe they won't even involve projections." Solid Light arrives at the Tate on the heels of an impressively long run of Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms and, shortly after, the opening of the recent mammoth Yoko Ono retrospective Music of the Mind on a different floor. There is an eagerness right now to harness some of the oddball energy bounced around by experimental artists in the seventies, many of whom are now well established within the canon. Perhaps this interest in the avant-garde is an attempt to make sense of, or mirror, the turbulence of our own current moment. This is especially poignant when considering the emergence of artificial intelligence, where progress has, once again, become synonymous with ideas of destruction. When asked about what the future might hold, McCall has “absolutely no idea where things are going. Technology is changing rapidly, sometimes it's a bit of a blind alley, sometimes it's very suggestive. My rule of thumb basically is to be receptive, but at the same time remain utterly sceptical. And that's kept me out of trouble so far. Well, maybe it hasn't –but I think it has." McCall has concurrent exhibitions at both Tate Modern and Guggenheim Bilbao this summer. This is a massive achievement that speaks to a continued public interest in these most enigmatic and genre-defying of artworks.
Words Vamika Sinha
Anthony McCall: Solid Light
Tate Modern, London Until 27 April
tate.org.uk
Right: Anthony McCall, Breath II (2004), Installation view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. Image by courtesy of Giulio Buono – Studio Blu.
Emotive Landscapes
Svante Gullichsen
“These images are about coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder,” says Helsinki-based photographer Svante Gullichsen (b. 1994). “I reflect on acceptance, self-care, empathy, self-destructiveness, anxiousness, anger, terror and the spectrum of emotions I've been through during my healing journey.” In these deeply personal self-portraits, Gullichsen positions himself amidst the vast forces of nature. His raw and emotive compositions play out in and around the archipelago of Porvoo, taking viewers deep into the Finnish forest. In one image, Gullichsen stares out from underneath a blanket of thick lichen. In another, he clings to a rock against the crushing tide. There’s a sense of vulnerability and fragility – of exposed bodies against the cold – as well as an undeniable inner strength and courage. Hope is ever-present, as figures reach out to one another over violent rivers or embrace as they wash up on the shore. This is about the power of holding on. svantegullichsen.com
Svante Gullichsen, Covered by Forest (Detail, 2016). Image courtesy the artist.
Svante Gullichsen, Crossing the Rubicon II (Detail, 2020). Image courtesy the artist.
Svante Gullichsen, Crossing the Rubicon I (Detail, 2020). Image courtesy the artist.
Svante Gullichsen, Eroding Forces (Detail, 2023).
Image courtesy the artist.
Svante Gullichsen, Easy Prey (Detail, 2023). Image courtesy the artist.
Svante Gullichsen, Take Care (Detail, 2023). Image courtesy the artist.
Building Responsibly
Shigeru Ban
THE PRITZKER PRIZE-WINNING ARCHITECT’S CAREER IS DEFINED BY INNOVATION, COMPASSION AND USING PAPER-BASED MATERIALS TO HELP PEOPLE IN TIMES OF CRISIS.
Curtains as walls in Tokyo. Styrofoam structures in Ukraine. A shipping container museum in New York. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban (b. 1957) is renowned for thinking outside the box. In 2014, he was awarded the Pritzker Prize – often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel” – joining an esteemed list of laureates that includes some of the biggest names in the field’s history: Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid and more. Ten years on from this momentous achievement, TASCHEN releases Complete Works 1985-Today, a huge compendium offering insight into Ban’s practice. Author Philip Jodidio, whose credits include the Architecture Now! series as well as monographs on the likes of Norman Foster and Jean Nouvel, has followed the studio from the beginning. This book – at almost 700 pages – is as comprehensive as it gets, encapsulating an inventive and tireless spirit. Readers are introduced to a magnitude of famous projects like the Centre Pompidou-Metz, with its Chinese hat-inspired bamboo roof, and the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, whose latticed wood walls are based on an inverted image of the iconic mountain. There’s also the Swatch/Omega Campus in Switzerland; La Seine Musicale Concert Hall in France; and the Wall-Less House in the Japanese countryside. The publication follows in the footsteps of numerous books on Ban, like Timber in Architecture (2022), which asked the question: “why wood?” in relation to construction practices and climate change. One of his best-known quotes is “I don’t like waste,” and this commitment – to saving and using otherwise discarded materials, at a time when few other architects were – led him to claim paper and cardboard as staples.
Ban has always followed his own path, developing systems from scratch rather than deriving influence from outside movements or fashionable trends. Above all, besides an experimental approach to design and a keen eye for aesthetics, it is problem-solving, altruism and generosity that sets Ban apart from his contemporaries. In 1995, he founded the Voluntary Architects’ Network (VAN). The mission: to conduct relief efforts following earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes and war. Since then, VAN has built numerous paper tube shelters for refugees, as well as emergency accommodation and community amenities in times of crisis. We sat down with Ban to speak about this important work, and what's next for the studio.
A: It’s been 10 years since you won the Pritzker Prize, which is referred to as “the profession’s highest honour.” How did you get here? What was it like to receive the award, and, a decade on, how has it influenced your work?
SB: When I was very small, I wanted to be a carpenter. I observed traditional Japanese woodwork, and the smells were magic. I would save cast aside pieces of wood and build small models with them. I didn't know that the architecture profession existed back then. But, as I soon as I discovered it was a possibility, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I’ve had a desire to make houses and buildings since I was very young. At age 11, my teacher asked the class to design a simple house – mine was displayed in the school as the best. I’m Japanese but I studied in the USA, attending the SCI-Arc in California and the Cooper Union School of Architecture in New York. Shigeru Ban Architects (SBA) was founded in 1985.
“I was tired of working for privileged people. I wanted to utilise my knowledge and experience to serve the general public, and, beyond that, to help people who had lost their houses due to natural disasters.”
Frankly speaking, my work and attitude has not changed since I received the Pritzker Prize. It was great recognition and gave me encouragement to continue practising in the same way as I have been, particularly within disaster areas.
A: Your paper tube structures have been used for emergency accommodation in the wake of recent crises. What sparked your desire to get involved in disaster relief?
SB: Architects normally work for privileged people who have power and money. The problem clients face is that these things are invisible, so they hire us to make monuments as a show of wealth and strength. I was tired of working in this way. I wanted to use my knowledge and experience to serve the general public, and, beyond that, to help people who had lost their houses due to natural disasters. Earthquakes themselves don’t always kill people, but the collapse of a building does. As architects, that's our responsibility to solve. I recognised that many people were suffering with very poor living conditions in temporary housing facilities. So, instead of waiting for a new permanent project to arise – because cities have to be rebuilt – I felt it was our prerogative to improve circumstances in the days, weeks and months after the disaster. That is why I started working in crisis areas.
A: Complete Works is a vast publication that looks back over your career. Is there a particular moment or event that stands out to you as a major milestone?
SB: My activities in Rwanda after the genocide in 1994. I proposed a temporary paper tube shelter to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and I was accepted as a consultant to continue to do this pro-
ject. That was a big turning point for me. After 10 years practising as an architect, I became involved in efforts to provide temporary housing for more than two million Rwandans who were escaping to Tanzania and Zaire from ongoing genocide. My paper tube solution utilised the standard 4 x 6 metre plastic sheet issued to each refugee.
A: Since then, in what other kinds of situations have these shelters been implemented for humanitarian aid?
SB: The Kobe earthquake in 1995 called for an inexpensive structure that could be built by anyone, with satisfactory insulation and acceptable appearance, that would be easy to dismantle and recycle afterwards. The solution was a kind of log cabin with a foundation of sand-filled beer crates, walls of paper tubes and a roof and ceiling made of tent membranes. We’ve been developing this idea over the past 30 years, working on numerous projects in Haiti, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The Paper Partition System (PPS), which transforms any space into a shelter for privacy, dignity and hope, was also used in Japan’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent the spread.
A: When we think about weather-resistance and strength, paper and cardboard aren’t always the first materials that spring to mind. Where did this idea come from?
SB: In the 1980s, Axis Gallery in Tokyo opened an exhibition of furniture and glass by Alvar Aalto. It was organised with New York's Museum of Modern Art. Due to budgetary limitations and the temporary nature of the show, I used recycled carton tubes as an alternative to wood when designing the staging. That's when my exploration into paper architecture
Previous page: Imai Day Care Hospital.
Photo: Hiroyuki Hirai.
Left: Paper Art Museum.
Photo: Hiroyuki Hirai.
began. Over time, I found that the tubes were much stronger and are easier to waterproof and fireproof than you might imagine. Paper is a material you can get, inexpensively, anywhere in the world. The buildings can be erected by nonskilled people or students, which is one of the reasons why it is very useful for temporary structures in disaster areas. But it can also be implemented as a permanent solution.
A: Cardboard is widely regarded as a sustainable alternative to plastic. Your Expo 2000 Japanese Pavilion was fully recyclable, and you’ve been quoted as saying that you “don’t like waste.” Would you describe yourself as an “ecological” architect? Or is there another movement or ideology that resonates with you?
SB: I first began developing my paper tube structures in the 1980s. Back then, it felt like nobody in the field was really talking about the environment, recycling or ecological issues. I made them primarily because I didn’t want to waste materials, but also because I wanted to make my own structural system using only humble resources. It’s really a coincidence that I'm now considered an “ecological architect.” I didn't start because of any pre-existing architectural or ecological movement at the time; it was by accident. Now, however, I feel that students and young architects are really interested in and enthusiastic about what I have been doing. I get a lot of support from them and work with local students on all of my projects. That was not the case when I was studying. Whilst I'm very pessimistic for the future of the world, I feel optimistic about the way the younger generation thinks. It has definitely changed. Everybody is very serious when it comes to important issues like the environment or refugees.
A: Your previous books include Timber in Architecture, Humanitarian Architecture and an earlier edition of Complete Works. What makes this title different from the rest?
SB: There are plenty of new additions since my last book. TASCHEN always makes beautiful volumes – I’m very happy with this one. The author, Philip Jodidio, has written extensively about my practice, as well as numerous other architects – so I trust him to make decisions about what goes in.
A: What are you working on right now? What's next?
SB: There are so many projects. Last year, I was busy building temporary housing all over the world: in Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, Ukraine, the USA and beyond. One example is the big fire on Maui Island, Hawaii, which took place in August 2023. Over 2,700 homes were reported to have been destroyed. In response, NPO Voluntary Architects Network (VAN) + Shigeru Ban Architects, with the collaboration of University of Hawaii, Maui College and School of Architecture at Mānoa, built a prototype for temporary housing in Maui. It's called Paper Log House, and is also composed of drinks cases filled with sandbags, plus wooden panels used to build the walls between the paper tube columns. This design enables construction to be carried out in a very short period of time. Meanwhile, in Japan, the Noto Peninsula earthquake on 1 January 2024 was the strongest to hit Ishikawa Prefecture since 1885. VAN and I have been setting up the PPS and cardboard beds to ensure privacy at evacuation centres. We’re erecting temporary timber houses there, too, many of which are now under construction. I go to this area quite often as a result. Beyond this, I'd love to make a smaller, less expensive book for students and the general public to read.
Words Eleanor Sutherland Shigeru Ban: Complete Works 1985-Today TASCHEN
taschen.com
Right: Curtain House.
Photo: Hiroyuki Hirai.
Analogue Experiment
Marta Djourina
Art and science are inextricably linked. The history of photography is a case-in-point, with 19th century botanist Anna Atkins credited as publishing the first photobook in 1843. She used the cyanotype process, a camera-less technique that involved laying different kinds of algae onto chemically-treated paper before exposing them to UV sunlight. The result: a stunning white image cast against a Prussian blue backdrop. It’s where the term “blueprint” comes from. Nearly 200 years have passed, but there’s still mystery around these processes. Marta Djourina (b. 1991) strips it back, experimenting with how natural and artificial light affects photo-sensitive media. She traces movements, gestures and objects onto analogue paper; the results are dynamic, where yellow slashes through black, purple folds into blue and red rectangles resemble a Mark Rothko painting. Djourina’s projects span small format pictures to monumental scrolls that extend upwards of six-metres-high. martadjourina.com
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023).
Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Marta Djourina, Untitled , from the series Folds , (2020-2023).
Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
Portraits Interrupted
Natalia Klimza
Artist and sculptor Joan Miró famously said: “I try to apply colours like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music.” He brought a rich use of colour to his Surrealist paintings, crafting abstract figures from geometric shapes and lines. Miró's influence on the art world is profound; today, it can be spotted in surreal photography – think Viviane Sassen. Polish creative Natalia Klimza also works in this space, specialising in images that deal with the "raw and natural beauty of forms." She often uses the nude form as a means of representing how it feels to strip away social constructs. Her series My World Around You (2023) depicts figures framed by deep red and purple hues. Close-up side profiles are juxtaposed with three-dimensional shapes that obstruct models' bodies and faces, obscuring traditional ideas of what a portrait should be. In one picture, a fuchsia pink cylinder is worn like a headpiece. In another, a mysterious dark blue structure is carried under one arm. @nataliaklimza
Natalia Klimza, My World Around You (2023). Costume: Joanna Borkowska. Set: Monika Szumińska. Models: Hilary @ MANGO MODELS + Bráulia Chieta. Hair and make-up: Agata Skiba. First published in Schön!
Natalia Klimza, My World Around You (2023). Costume: Joanna Borkowska. Set: Monika Szumińska.
Models: Hilary
@ MANGO MODELS + Bráulia Chieta. Hair and make-up: Agata Skiba. First published in Schön!
Natalia Klimza, My World Around You (2023). Costume: Joanna Borkowska. Set: Monika Szumińska.
Models:
Hilary @ MANGO MODELS + Bráulia Chieta. Hair and make-up: Agata Skiba. First published in Schön!
Natalia Klimza, My World Around You (2023). Costume: Joanna Borkowska. Set: Monika Szumińska.
Models: Hilary
@ MANGO MODELS + Bráulia Chieta. Hair and make-up: Agata Skiba. First published in Schön!
Natalia Klimza, My World Around You (2023). Costume: Joanna Borkowska. Set: Monika Szumińska.
Models:
Hilary
@ MANGO MODELS + Bráulia Chieta. Hair and make-up: Agata Skiba. First published in Schön!
Nature Distorted
Karine Laval
French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926-1984) introduced “heterotopias” in his essay Des Espaces Autres. He defined them as places, like gardens or museums, where time and space conflate. In a cultivated garden, for example, species from across the world appear to live in unison. But most arrangements are, in truth, far from natural, unable to coexist without human intervention. It’s this idea – of nature versus culture, familiar versus alien – that intrigues French-American photographer Karine Laval (b.1971). She travels to private and public gardens across Europe and the USA to produce hallucinatory, fragmented images of flowers, leaves and grass. The results are disorientating and drenched in greens and pinks. Laval keeps experimentation alive in an era of digital manipulation. “The distortions, superimpositions and otherworldly colours are created in-camera as single shots with the help of reflective surfaces, different light sources and skewed perspectives.” karinelavalstudio.com
Karine Laval, Quarantine #3 (2020). Image courtesy the artist.
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #41 (2014).
Image courtesy the artist.
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #9 (2014).
Image courtesy the artist.
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #74 (2017).
Image courtesy the artist.
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #64B (2017).
Image courtesy the artist.
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #10 (2014).
Image courtesy the artist..
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #15 (2014).
Image courtesy the artist.
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #77 (2017).
Image courtesy the artist.
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #95 (2019).
Image courtesy the artist..
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #70 (2017).
Image courtesy the artist..
Karine Laval, Heterotopia #70B (2017).
Image courtesy the artist.
Path to Knowledge
Laure Winants
CAMERALESS PHOTOGRAPHY IS A MEANS OF VISUALISING CLIMATE DATA, OFFERING FASCINATING, COLOURFUL INSIGHTS INTO THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
Arctic sea ice helps keep the planet cool. It moderates the global climate, with snow-covered polar regions reflecting up to 90 percent of incoming solar radiation. But, when these areas melt, the oceans are left to absorb the sun’s energy. Sea temperatures rise as a result – making the poles the most sensitive regions to climate change on Earth. The thickness and extent of summer sea ice in the Arctic has shown a dramatic decline since the 1980s. Moreover, data from July 2024 tells us that it is diminishing at an above average pace. During the first two weeks of the month, 121,000 square kilometres per day was lost. Figure show 2023 to be the warmest year since global records began in 1850, by a wide margin. It’s been 10 years since Olafur Eliasson and Minik Rosing’s first Ice Watch, for which the artists installed 12 large blocks of ice – cast off from Greenland and harvested at a fjord outside Nuuk – in a clock formation at Copenhagen’s City Hall Square. Since then, it has been recreated in multiple locations: Paris, for the UN Climate Conference, and in London, in front of the Tate Modern. Its goal is to raise awareness by forcing people to watch it melt in a real time. Other creatives working in this space include Julian Charrière, whose film Towards No Earthly Pole (2019) “gives the dark side of the polar region a new voice.” He also spent eight hours melting an iceberg with a gas blowtorch. In photography, Florian Ledoux is a self-confessed “polar obsessive” who captures striking imagery for BBC, Disney, Netflix and National Geographic. Then there’s Evgenia Arbugaeva, whose magical realist compositions focus on the lives of people in the Russian Arctic – her homeland. She's dedicated to documenting remote
places and telling the stories of the people who inhabit them. These names mark a new generation of artists who are bridging anthropology, art and environmental science. Laure Winants (b. 1991) has earned a place amongst them. The artist-researcher, who lives between Paris and Brussels, has recently been recognised by .tiff 2024, a talent initiative from FOMU, Antwerp, which celebrates emerging photographers living or working in Belgium. For the 12th edition, Winants joins a shortlist of 10 creatives, including Angyvir Padilla, Catherine Lemblé, Elise Dervichian & Lina Wielant, Ksenia Kuleshova, Marcel Top, Marens van Leunen, Nathan Mbouebe, Romane Iskaria and Romain Cavallin. The idea: to offer a fresh perspective on the possibilities of photography, and to connect audiences with what is happening amongst emerging creators right now. It reflects society through “a healthy critical lens.” We caught up with Winants after she returned from a recent expedition.
A: How would you describe the work you do? What is the key driving force or idea behind your projects?
LW: I am a researcher and field-based visual artist who practices situated science. It’s important to me to be in a location, to experience the area and to consider all the elements – like the sun, light and ice. By working on site, I’m able to establish a dialogue between all the different factors, from the chemical composition of the air to the spectrum of sunlight. I work with a pluridisciplinary group of researchers: bioacousticians, oceanographers and glaciologists. The idea is that by working together, we are taking a more-than-human
Laure Winants, from Time Capsule (2023). Image courtesy of the artist.
“The data sheds light
lot of drilling, and, travel back into the
drilled to take samples of permafrost, glaciers and sea ice, providing insights that take us beyond our own humanity.
, you used analogue photography techniques to create bright, abstract pictures from ice.
posed against magenta, blue and turquoise shapes. Can you explain how these striking images were made?
ence from the scientists on the ship. For example, when I set up my artist’s studio in the heart of the Arctic ice pack in 2022, I didn’t know that the four-month polar expedition would focus so much on light and the colour spectrum.
A: You're talking about Time Capsule, a series which came out of that trip. How did you end on this voyage?
LW: I worked with the Polar Institute on this one. It was after a residency that I joined one of their proper research boats. The project was about ice, light and optical refraction, but also understanding climate. The experiments were numerous: capturing the composition of light, the acoustic inflections of icebergs, printing the chemical make-up of water, and so on. Several boreholes were
ena of light and colour in the Arctic. The works are prints of photograms onto which ice cut-outs captured on site have been affixed. Polarised light on the material reveals the composition of the cut-out. It shows the structure of the crystals but leaves a shadow over certain elements that have been present for thousands of years. I studied bubbles inside of the ice core, cutting thin sections then using them as an optical tool. Light travels through the ice and gives us a part of the spectrum, like a prism. The result is different depending on the composition of the bubbles. I wanted to visualise these patterns, so I worked with an instrument that's called a spectrophotometer. It gave us those colours. My processes are usually cameraless. Another approach I took was to do an extraction of the sea ice and the permafrost, this time letting it melt on the top of the film, which caused a chemical reaction.
A: What exactly are we looking at here, and what does it teach us about the ice pack and its timeline?
LW: The data from these time capsules sheds light on thousands of years of history. We did a lot of drilling, and, when we drill, we go back into the past. The ice
Previous page: Laure Winants, from Time Capsule , (2023). Image courtesy of the artist.
Left: Laure Winants, from Time Capsule (2023). Image courtesy of the artist.
A: You’ve explored some of the most extreme environ
measure distance. We went daily to study the evolution of the eruption activity with all kinds of techniques, using the collected data to build a 3D model of the eruption.
A: Let's go back to the very beginning. Where did everything start for you – with fine art, or science?
LW: I come from a background where more-than-human entities were very important. In terms of what came first, I grew up with ornithologists and naturalists, so we were always in the countryside or forests. Birds, and the outdoors in general, were big parts of my childhood. I was also very interested in philosophy, natural science and visual art. It's for these reasons that I became so passionate about finding alternative, non-human routes to knowledge.
allows me to make data tangible and emotionally perceptible, highlighting the interdependence of ecosystems.
A: Do you have any plans for future projects or expeditions? What are you working on at the moment?
LW: I'm doing similar colour-based investigations with another research vessel. This time, the body of work is about the deep sea and how different microorganisms function as effective markers of climate change. They capture carbon dioxide and transform it into oxygen; they are the CO2 pumps of the ocean. I’m doing a lot of undersea experimentation using pH sensitive paper – it changes colour depending on the composition of the water and the sea level at which it is placed, and it reflects the state of our oceans.
Words Frances Johnson
.TIFF 2024 FOMU, Antwerp Until 18 August fomu.be
Laure Winants, from Time Capsule (2023). Image courtesy of the artist.
Into the Sunlight
Maia Flore
Sparks dancing skywards. Flowers extending as far as the eye can see. There is a sense of freedom and abandon in Maia Flore’s (b. 1988) pictures. Here, anonymous figures frolic against idyllic backdrops – running, leaping and hiding amidst perfectly pruned shrubs and seemingly endless fields. The French photographer has developed a reputation for constructing dreamworlds where figures float, balance and bend, sometimes defying the laws of physics. Her compositions are crisp and colourful, to the point that they border on the surreal. Simplicity and playfulness are key to Flore’s visual language, with each scene featuring a single subject engaged in something of intrigue. You can’t help but ask questions: where are they running from, or to? Why? What magic is at work here? The artist is a master of translating ideas into still and moving images. She has an impressive list of collaborators: Cartier, The New Yorker, Le Monde, LVMH and many more. maiaflore.com
Maia Flore, Carnegie (2023). For Hotel Radisson Reims / Alboran. Image courtesy of the artist.
Maia Flore, Secret Season, (2020). Image courtesy of the artist.
Maia Flore, Sparkling Evening, (2024).
For Hotel Radisson Reims / Alboran. Image courtesy the artist.
Maia Flore, Constellation, (2021). Image courtesy of the artist.
Maia Flore, Wine Making, (2023).
For Hotel Radisson Reims / Alboran. Image courtesy the artist.
Maia Flore, Jardin Jaune , (2014). Image courtesy of the artist.
Calling for Action
PST ART: Art & Science Collide
ARTISTS, SCIENTISTS AND ACTIVISTS ARE HIGHLIGHTING AN ICONIC CALIFORNIAN TREE IN A RALLYING CRY FOR WIDER ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT.
If you want to propagate a Joshua tree, you’ll need a Yucca moth. The dark grey insect, less than a centimetre in length, is the only thing on Earth that can do the job properly. Sadly, in the Mojave Desert, to which the trees are native, there are myriad problems making the moth’s job much harder. These include the spread of invasive grasses, suburban sprawl, polluting winds, decreased rainfall and fire to name just a few. Whilst Joshua trees are long-living – surviving for around 150 years on average – a 2013 study found they were not reproducing within over 50% of their namesake National Park. Joshua trees can breed asexually, but this produces less genetically diverse “clonal” stems and has a knock-on effect for the species’ long-term biodiversity and resilience. In August 2020, a lightning strike ignited a fire that destroyed more than 1.3 million trees. In 2023, the US Fish and Wildlife Service denied them federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, despite scientists predicting that, by 2100, there may no longer be Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park. Multimedia artist and writer Ruth Wallen (b. 1953) first saw a Joshua tree when she was a teenager. “They were one of the nice things about being in southern California,” she recalls. Yucca brevifolia is one of the most recognisable symbols of the Mojave Desert, with its knobbly branches and spiky leaves setting it apart from everything else on the horizon. Its home is a vast area of southern California, characterised by stark terrain and rock formations, which has had a significant impact on pop culture. In the 1960s and 1970s, the National Monument – as it was then known – was a symbol of counterculture; it had an allure that appealed to musicians and
writers. Members of The Rolling Stones, The Byrds and The Mamas & The Papas visited as a retreat. By the 1990s, it was associated with freedom and individuality; U2 named their fifth studio album after the tree and sold 25 million copies. The region continues to build on this reputation, hosting an array of contemporary art projects each year. Most famous is Desert X, which unfolds in nearby Coachella Valley and is replete with large-scale, “Instagram-friendly” artworks, as well as the aptly-named Joshua Treenial, which launched in 2015. You’ll find quirky murals, galleries and installations scattered throughout nearby towns. Wallen’s interest in the landscape, however, came more from a place of care, concern and a desire to raise awareness. “One of the reasons I started working in Joshua Tree National Park was that it was losing its namesake, and no one was paying attention ... it was about saying ‘even here, in the most iconic place, we have a problem.’” After working as an environmental scientist, Wallen turned to art as a means of breaking down barriers between disciplines. She wanted to spread the word further. “Walking With Trees started in San Diego in the aftermath of the conflagrations of 2003 and 2007, the largest fires in California at the time, which killed well over 50% of the conifers in the county. I began to take the same walk repeatedly, coming back several times and seeing how things are changing. I developed a real intimacy with these trees.” The resulting photomontages are a love letter to these places –multiple images, taken in the same location, pasted into an assemblage. They are testament to the power of close looking and slowing down, showing us how to build lasting inter-
“It's not about the
We’re using the tree instead as way to tell a much larger story about manifest destiny and colonisation, as well as hope for how things can change.”
Those burnt in 2021. It's terrifying and heartbreaking, especially when you've seen them when they were all alive.” Additionally, Wallen is joined on her frequent trail walks by different companions, ranging from endangered Torrey pines and coastal live oaks, to pinyon-junipers and towering redwoods. The challenge for Wallen was working out how to best communicate such a vast and emotive subject. There were numerous art world blueprints to draw from – Ansel Adams, Edward Burtynsky, Richard Mosse – but none of them felt right. “A lot of traditional landscape photography is based on the sublime aesthetic. Philosophers, like Immanuel Kant and Edmund Burke wrote about witnessing pain and danger without actually being in such circumstances. For example, you might be standing on the shore and looking at a huge fire, but you're doing it from a place of safety. To me, that sense of titillation is horrifying. We’re going to be excited by looking at a sequoia forest that's gone up in flames? I was searching for was an aesthetic that gave a sense of intimacy, as opposed to the distancing that comes with the sublime."
Wallen found the answer in Cubism, the early 20th century art movement pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque that brought different views of subjects together in the same frame – conflating time and space in a collage of shapes. “Walking With Trees likewise provides a series of glimpses; you get close, and then you look at something else, and then you try to look up. There are different perspectives coming together and a sense of movement – refus-
ing that whole vast view.” In doing so, Wallen joins a number
tached, often aerial, perspectives of their male counterparts.membered as one of the best-known proponents of eco-feminism, immersing herself in flowers and mud for her “earthbody” performances. Then there’s Judy Chicago (b. 1939), whose pyrotechnic Atmospheres (1968-1974) intended to transform and soften the landscape, introducing a so-called “feminine impulse” to the environment. More recently, salt extraction sites, marble quarries, dry lake beds and burning gas wells have become backdrops for contemporary artist Liz Miller Kovacs, an avid traveller who makes self-portraits within what she calls “scars of the Earth.” At a time when Google searches for “famous landscape photographers” still yield a list of predominantly male artists, women are redressing the balance, by getting close-up to their subject matter. Wallen’s photomontages are included in Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees, an exhibition presented at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, California, as part of the Getty PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative. The show and accompanying book, curated by Wallen's colleague and fellow visual artist Sant Khalsa, considers the plight of not only the tree, but the sensitive Mojave Desert ecosystem that supports it. “It's not about the iconic Joshua tree image we see in the media all the time. We’re using the tree as way to tell a much larger story about manifest destiny and colonisation.” The show integrates natural history, Indigenous knowledge, public policy, scientific research and artistic expressions to emphasise the challenges faced as well as ongoing conservation efforts. There are more than 40 artists included, across
Ruth Wallen, Walking with Joshua Trees: Eureka Peak Trail (2021). Image courtesy the artist.
Previous page: Ruth Wallen, Walking with Joshua Trees (2019). Image courtesy the artist.
Left: Ruth Wallen, Walking with Joshua Trees: Burnt Hill Trail (2023). Image courtesy the artist.
all media. Audiences can discover the first known photograph of a Joshua tree, taken by Carleton Watkins, as well as recent work by Cara Romero, a citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe who grew up between the rural Mojave Desert and the urban sprawl of Houston. She examines cultural memory, collective history and lived experiences from a Native American perspective – which Khalsa sees as essential. “It was very important to us to bring in Indigenous viewpoints. Before we had science as we know it, we had Indigenous knowledge. We are part of the natural world. We are not separate from it. Indigenous people have lived in this way for a very long time.” Getty PST ART: Art & Science Collide is the largest art event in the USA, presenting more than 70 exhibitions and 800 artists over five months. Desert Forest joins a roster of ecofocused shows like Hammer Museum’s Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice, which similarly foregrounds artists, scientists and activists who are focused on the lungs of our planet – oceans, atmosphere and forests. It’s all about the tangible contributions being made towards their protection. Meanwhile, at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, audiences are encouraged to consider different ways of knowing. Mapping the Infinite: Cosmologies Across Cultures is an exploration of astrology and astronomy across time through a selection of around 100 sculptures, manuscripts, photographs and astronomical instruments. There are also exhibits on biotechnology, agriculture and artificial intelligence, welcoming renowned figures like Olafur Eliasson and Tavares Strachan. PST ART joins a growing number of collaborative projects worldwide that are bridging the gap between the humanities and natural sciences. Earlier in 2024, London’s Science Museum unveiled Only Breath, a site-specific kinetic sculp-
ture by Torus Torus Studio, the brainchild of Aesthetica Art Prize alumnus Alexandra Carr. The piece evokes processes of breathing and blooming, constructed using repurposed and recycled materials – including trees felled by storm Arwen –that feel right at home in the museum’s Energy Revolution Gallery. In the USA, meanwhile, academic institutions like Caltech and Carnegie Mellon University have introduced interdisciplinary courses to their programmes. Khalsa explains: “Art has always been linked to science. Going back to where our pigments come from, or even to the 1800s and the invention of photography, it's all based in chemistry and physics." Why are we seeing an uptick in interest right now? "Scientists understand that they need someone to better communicate what is that they're doing, and artists are looking for more ways to talk about what is happening in the world right now.” Despite the positive contributions that are being made, it’s easy to feel discouraged when faced with devastating headlines of climate crisis, raging fires and an ever-growing list of endangered and protected species. But it's important not to switch off or become fatigued with it all. Wallen is optimistic about what can be achieved if people engage with the science, work together and stay tuned in to what’s happening around them. For her, listening and compassionate attentiveness are crucial. “If you look closely at some of my images of sequoias you'll see brilliant purple lupine flowers. They're a nitrogen fixer. They come up after fire to heal the land. There are tiny sequoias everywhere, too – adapted to regenerate after fire. It's important to communicate that, if we can learn to be present, there is possibility.” Khalsa agrees, reiterating that the show isn’t rooted in feelings of negativity or defeatism. “This project is really about hope. Things can change.”
Words Eleanor Sutherland
PST ART: Art & Science Collide Various locations, California 15 September – 16 February pst.art
Right: Ruth Wallen, Walking with Joshua Trees: Minerva Hoyt Trail , (2023). Image courtesy the artist.
Ruth Wallen, Walking with Joshua Trees: Dead Pinyon pines on Joshua Trees, Burnt Hill Trail (2023). Image courtesy the artist.
Question of Reality
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo
What is “synthetic photography”? Giuseppe Lo Schiavo (b. 1986), an Italian-born visual artist and researcher, defines it as an image-making approach that “involves computerbased methods as opposed to traditional camera-based processes.” But Lo Schiavo is not talking about text-to-image AI generators. His concept is more in-depth and complex, driven by the psychology behind how we interpret reality. The early stages of Windowscapes (2023) comprised an experiment whereby Lo Schiavo measured the brainwave patterns of people presented with a real window, versus a simulated one. The results were surprisingly similar, and the following images question what that means. Lo Schiavo is involved in each stage, programming algorithms and engaging with 3D scans of Greco-Roman artifacts. For a recent collaboration with Bvlgari, Lo Schiavo introduced emotion-capture – producing personal windowscapes that mirror each viewer’s perceived state of mind. giuseppeloschiavo.com
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Trampoline and the Ocean B, (2023). Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Appetite for the Ocean 001, (2024).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Volcano and the Ocean, (2024).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Trampoline and the Ocean Y, (2023).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Helios and the Ocean B, (2024).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Daphne and the Ocean B, (2024).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Helios and the Ocean A, (2024).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Hypnos and the Ocean Dittico, (2023).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, After the Storm, (2024).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Appetite for Wonders, (2023).
Image courtesy the artist.
Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, Matches and the Ocean, (2024).
Image courtesy the artist.
Exhibition Reviews
1Performing Histories
HISTORIES REIMAGINED
Performing Histories/Histories Re-Imagined is an exhibition with power. It celebrates the work of eight lens-based artists – Alba Zari, Amin Yousefi, Eleonora Agostini, Emi O’Connell, Jermaine Francis, Laura Chen, Odette England and Tarrah Krajnak – whose practices negotiate "the archive." Each uncovers an untold or overlooked story: of Irish women, enslaved people, labour and religious trauma. Here, Impressions Gallery and Peckham 24 position historical records as places where events, deeply personal and conflicted with emotion, can be told and re-told, imagined and reimagined. The show shines brightest when it shakes off the dust of storage boxes and contact sheets to consider the role of the camera and its autonomy when it comes to storytelling. Emi O’Connell's and then I ran and Odette England’s Woman Wearing Ring Shields Face From Flash stand out most
here, critically examining the depths of an archive’s influence to control narratives and reveal new versions of events. England, for example, justifiably critiques the camera as a weapon systematically used against women and girls. There is a tension between objectivity and subjectivity throughout: after all, an artwork shows only what the artist allows it to reveal. Performing Histories is a matrix that blurs fact with fiction, looking at how accounts are shaped, shared or silenced. The nature of photography is to distort time and space into a singular frame. Sometimes, works made in such an in-depth way can feel too complete, presenting a "finished" version of materials that have a proclivity to be messy. Performing Histories is, in many ways, a conventional group show. What it does for the experimentation of the archive in photography, however, is profound and makes for an enjoyable experience.
2Contemporary African Photography
WINNERS OF THE CAP PRIZE 2024
Art prizes are exceptional vehicles for bringing new practitioners to the fore. The Contemporary African Photography Prize (CAP) is no exception. This year’s winners are Ahmed Khirelsid, Farren Van Wyk, Kriss Munsya, Lina Geoushy and Tshepiso Moropa. Together, the creatives provide a nuanced exploration of the experiences, identities and histories of people of African descent across the world. This show looks at themes of migration, cultural heritage, resilience and the complexities of identity amid various socio-political contexts. The exhibition highlights stories of struggle and triumph, celebrates cultural expressions and confronts issues of race, inequality and social justice. It is a space for dialogue and reflection, inviting you to engage with ongoing legacies of colonialism and how images can shape and redefine our world. One of the winners, Kriss Munsya, was shortlisted for
3Bruges Triennial SPACES OF POSSIBILITY
Bruges’ city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: a place where conservation and heritage are paramount. But it's also a key destination for contemporary art, as the 2024 Triennial, titled Spaces of Possibility, establishes in clear terms this year.
The term “Zwerfruimte” – or “Wanderspace” – refers to sites that are underutilised, undervalued or seemingly unremarkable. Twelve artists and architects have transformed sidelined spaces across the city into destinations of wonder, playfulness and reflection. They do so via dynamic site-specific installations, providing new ways for residents and tourists to explore and experience overlooked streets and buildings. One of the big-name artists on the roster is Mona Hatoum, whose contribution, Full Swing, invites audiences to enter a subterranean corridor boarded by walls of dark grey stone in the grounds of Onzelievevrouw Psychiatric Hospital. Hang-
the Aesthetica Art Prize earlier this year. It’s wonderful to see this work getting wider recognition. Munsya is based in Canada. He was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and moved to Belgium at the age of two. His work explores identity, race and personal transformation, reflecting on the experiences and challenges of immigrants navigating various cultural landscapes. He blends surrealism with documentary to create powerful images that resonate emotionally and intellectually. Lina Geoushy’s work focuses on social justice, human rights and the intimate stories of marginalised communities. Her approach is compassionate and incisive, capturing the resilience and dignity of her subjects.
This show is a highlight in the global photographic calendar and merits a visit to Dublin. Keep an eye out for these five practitioners, who are significant contemporary artistic voices.
Words
Alexander Stubbs
Impressions, Bradford Until 31 August impressions-gallery.com
ing at the centre is a single swing. The piece is about isolated joy, concealed play and tempered hope – in which flashes of blue sky appear only to those prepared to get involved. Elsewhere, in an alleyway, SO-IL’s Common Thread issues its own enticing call to action: the mouth of a tunnel, destination unseen. Intrigued visitors find themselves undulating with its curves, ultimately arriving in the hidden garden of a former Capuchin monastery. The artwork is a sensory experience defined by its fluid journey, partial opacity and surprising softness and flexibility. Intricately woven from recycled ocean plastic, it nods to Bruges’ time-honoured lace industry. Here, "practitioners of the possible" integrate heritage into their contemporary output, resulting in works that contribute to the city's rich cultural fabric. They enrich, rather than compete with, the history of Bruges: a story still being written.
Words Anna Müller
Photo Museum, Dublin Until 25 August photomuseumireland.ie
Words Megan Hobson
Various locations, Bruges Until 1 September triennalebrugge.be
A colossal six-decades-worth of work of Judy Chicago (b. 1939) – who is hailed as an “artistic polymath” by Serpentine’s artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist – is on view at the gallery’s North site. Revelations draws its title from Chicago’s 1970s manuscript of the same name, now published for the first time by Obrist in conjunction with the retrospective. Organised around the text's various chapters, the exhibition centres Chicago’s use of drawing – a medium explored throughout her career – assembling them alongside sculptural forms, video installations and preparatory studies for major pieces like The Dinner Party, Birth Project or PowerPlay Moving through Revelations, it’s clear that the artist’s trademark vibrant, psychedelic style has always infused her practice with a playful effervescence. In Birth Project (1982) and Peeling Back (1974), abstract flowers evoke vulvas. One room is entirely dedicated to Atmospheres, which are performances
in the Californian desert where women are portrayed as goddess-like figures enveloped in colourful clouds. The idea: to inject a "feminine impulse into the environment," with smoke and dry ice billowing and merging with the wind, air and sky. It would be easy to dismiss these attempts to weave together themes of birth, creation, apocalypse, extinction, ecology and feminism as trite or overly ambitious, but Chicago is an artist dedicated to using her work to affect change. Her drawing series, The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction, shows flora and fauna at threat of vanishing. Elsewhere, collaborations with Greenpeace and Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova ask us to imagine the possibility of a new world beyond profits and patriarchy. Whilst Chicago’s work might veer a little idealistic at times – plenty of tyrannical women have been in power, after all – her vision for a more collaborative and equitable world leaves a lot to think about.
5Second Nature PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE AGE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE
Biologist Eugene Stoermer and chemist Paul Crutzen coined the term "Anthropocene" in 2000, using it to describe the period of Earth’s history that has been marked by human activity. Some scholars argue that this started with the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, whilst others opt for the first use of atomic bombs, in 1945, as a major turning point. Regardless of when the epoch started, there is no question that humanity has incited an era of impending catastrophe.
Now, Nasher Museum of Art presents the first major exhibition to examine the Anthropocene through the lens of contemporary photography. More than 45 artists, from all across the world, come together to spotlight the complex web of relationships between ecology, humanity and industry. The show is about what it means to exist on the precipice.
Edward Burtynsky is a stand-out name who is internationally recognised for his dedication to revealing the impact of industry on the planet. In Lithium Mines #1, he captures
sprawling green chemical patches that cover Chile’s Atacama Desert. Its lurid colours are compelling and disconcerting, natural and unnatural, all at once. Burtynsky's images, taken from above, offer an unflinching account of our indelible and irrevocable impact on the Earth. The scale is colossal.
Gohar Dashti, meanwhile, considers the power of nature to consume and conquer. In her images, vacant buildings are taken over by vines, grasses and branches. She provokes the viewer to imagine what happens to the environment when humans are displaced. Elsewhere, Inka and Niclas’ Adaptive Colorations I uses colour filters to distort places, asking questions about tourism and what makes a landscape "desirable." Second Nature is timely and urgent. Each artist lends their voice to a collective call for action, pushing us not to look away from harsh climate realities or difficult ecological truths. Instead, they ask us to face environmental issues head on, providing accessible ways for us to visualise the problem.
Words Katie Tobin
Serpentine, London Until 1 September serpentinegalleries.org
Words Emma Jacob
Nasher Museum, Durham Until 5 January nasher.duke.edu
6Shared
Spaces
2 024 ICP RECENT GRADUATES EXHIBITION
The International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York is a premier institution dedicated to visual culture. Founded in 1974 by Magnum's Cornell Capa, brother of the famed journalist and war photographer Robert Capa, ICP is a vital hub for education, exhibitions and community engagement. Over the years, it has hosted major displays featuring the works of renowned names such as Carrie Mae Weems, Nan Goldin, Robert Capa and Sebastião Salgado, amongst others. It remains a major player in the development of the medium. Shared Spaces, ICP’s graduate showcase, demonstrates its commitment to forging paths for the next generation of talent. There are more than 70 graduates from over 25 countries, from Argentina to Belarus and Thailand to Yemen, included in the public programme. Curated by Sara Ickow, the exhibition celebrates the power of images to inspire, provoke and inform, however, this platform does more than just present new photographic talent, it also addresses contem-
porary issues such as social justice, identity and technology. Shared Spaces is a who’s who guide to the future of imagemaking. It’s very hard for emerging talent to get ahead in the sector with opportunities being very few and far between. Here, upcoming practitioners, such as Costanza Damiani, Nathalie Taiana and Heather Lynch, are demonstrating innovation and the evolution of photographic art, which is shaping the future of visual storytelling. Damiani stands out for her intimate style, injecting warm colours into deeply emotional portraits and still life compositions. Her work is all about human connections and the importance of sensitivity. ICP is at the helm of a new wave. By harnessing fresh perspectives and bold narratives, it introduces us to different ways of seeing and interpreting reality. This show not only highlights the diverse and evolving nature of the medium, but also encourages you to reflect on your own perceptions and to consider the influence of pictures in the modern world.
Words Shirley Stevenson
ICP, New York Until 2 September icp.org
1Sing Sing
GREG KWEDAR
Art as a restorative act of rehabilitation is the subject of Sing Sing. As the title suggests, it takes place in the maximum security prison in New York, although this isn’t your typical drama about the trials of incarceration. The film is blur of documentary and fiction, and its backdrop is RTA (Rehabilitation Through The Arts), a programme designed to help those in prison foster community by taking part in theatre, dance and other artistic mediums. Inspired by a true story, Colman Domingo plays Divine G, a man imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit. The character's way through the nightmare situation is to invest his time in the RTA alongside Mike Mike (Sean San José). At the start of the film, they scan the prison yard for new members. Despite some reservations, they settle upon Divine Eye – played by Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin, drawing on his own life – who is one of the most
2Girls Will Be Girls
SHUCHI TALATI
Indian filmmaker Schuchi Talati has experience when it comes to taboo-busting feminist filmmaking. Her short, A Period Piece, built a story around the mess of period sex. Her first feature, Girls Will Be Girls, which premiered at Sundance, has a less attention-grabbing premise, but is, in its subtle way, just as honest about real women’s lives. Sixteen-year-old Mira (Preeti Panigrahi) is a student at a conservative mixed gender boarding school in the Himalayas. As the film opens, she becomes the first girl to be appointed Head Prefect, a big responsibility for the gifted star pupil, which seems well equipped. However, when Mira finds herself unexpectedly attracted to charming new boy Sri (Kesac Binoy Kiron), her well-ordered world begins to crumble. The disorientating experience of first love is further complicated when Mira’s youthful mother Anila (Kani Kusruti) begins to build a friendship
dangerous people in Sing Sing. When the group decides to put on a play written by the programme’s director (Paul Raci), Divine Eye struggles to integrate himself, despite Domingo’s character taking him under his wing. Co-scripted by Kwedar and Clint Bentley, the film takes cues from the real-life relationship between Divine G and Divine Eye, as well as Breakin’ The Mummy’s Code, a play written by Brent Buell, the man who ran the real RTA.
Sing Sing moves to a leisurely rhythm, free from the undercurrents of violence that accompany most prison dramas. Domingo, who recently received his first Oscar nomination for his lead role in Rustin, gives a fine performance as Divine G, a man who carries with dignity the injustice he has been forced to endure. Arguably, it lacks a burning sense of drama, but as a film that explores the power of art, Sing Sing is worthy of your time.
with Sri, who proves to be successful at charming adults. Mira's awareness of her own body grows alongside her attraction to Sri. In frank but never exploitative scenes –Talati shot with a majority female crew to create a safe space for her young cast – Mira progresses from inno cently kissing the back of her hand to masturbation. The director skilfully sidesteps coming-of-age clichés, turn ing a familiar story of first love into a thornier examina tion of mothers and daughters. The difficult relationship is further complicated by the patriarchal Indian context, a society in which female teachers ruthlessly police the lengths of the girl’s skirts whilst ignoring the hooliganlike behaviour of their male classmates. The double standard evident in these apparently small details builds to a conclusion, which like everything in this admirably low key film, is both understated and quietly devastating.
3Sky Peals
Many of our most memorable and beloved movies have been shot on film. The textural feel and quality of colours in an image have a nostalgic and magical feel. Moin Hussain makes a compelling case that 35mm filmmaking should not be lost to an era of digital creation. His debut feature tells the story of night shift fast food worker Adam (Faraz Ayub) and the disarray he finds himself in when his estranged father suddenly dies. Sky Peals is not a science fiction film in the traditional sense. It has the sensibility of a coming-of-age film, but is drenched in an absurdism reminiscent of Lars Von Trier. The pacing is slow and quiet, and tension is built by the low volumes of Adam’s voice as if he is speaking and no one understands what he is saying. He is lost in a unique way that cannot be answered by anyone except his father, who may or may not be from another planet.
The plot is brimming with awkward anxiety as Adam interacts with his family and coworkers, but this seems to be what makes him compelling. His shyness is viewed as inquisitive, he mumbles his way through conversations and is rewarded with job promotions and invites to parties. We see this in tandem with the otherworldliness of Adam’s father who is possibly something beyond comprehension. Yet other characters throughout the film do not treat him with hostility. Instead, Adam is gently guided through life and offered support from his friends. Some people believe that if extraterrestrial life were to one day appear on planet Earth, many of us would fail to notice. Unless there is a major UFO sighting, it is believable that an alien may seamlessly blend in with an unwitting human society. As far as Sky Peals is concerned, we may be living in a world where that is already the case.
Words
Michael Piantini
Words James Mottram
Black Bear Pictures blackbearpictures.com
MOIN HUSSAIN
Words Rachel Pronger
Modern Films modernfilms.com
1Wish On The Bone
W HY BONNIE
Austin-based rock outfit Why Bonnie, led by the inimitable Blair Howerton, releases its second long player, an album with all the trimmings of its self described, genre: shoegaze-cana. Its ethereal, swirling vocals combined with a uniquely American influence evoke dusty brow-sweating country scenes. The thread through this loopable album is authenticity: gorgeously honest, simple, clunky, rock music seeping in rich realism. Projects like Wish On The Bone bring with them not just great songs, but a hope of entering a new era of music unencumbered by the manufactured nature of the industry it lives within. The freedom of a record to get darker on songs like All The Money, with giant 1970s sounding electric guitars and muted strings, shows the creative choices of a band experimenting to their full delight. There are a lot of bouncing drum grooves too. Pepper-
2Ritual
JON HOPKINS
Ritual is London-born ambient composer and pop producer Jon Hopkins' latest release. It follows 2021's Music for Psychedelic Therapy, which was the culmination of a transformative hallucinogenic experience that Hopkins went through whilst on a remote island off the Scottish coastline. The album attempted to cultivate a meditative and healing experience that lasted the duration of a trip, bringing the listener closer, almost literally, to the deep and gentle hum of the Earth’s core. This new compilation demonstrates similar therapeutic intentions to Hopkins' earlier works. It attempts to resist traditional song structures in order to create an intentionally incomplete end-product, welcoming listeners to fill in the gaps. Hopkins explains that, for him, it “feels like a tool, maybe even a machine, for opening portals within your inner world, for unlocking things that
3Soft Tissue TINDERSTICKS
In Soft Tissue, their 14th album, Tindersticks' sound is propelled by the combined elements of curiosity and surprise. A step forward from the more experimental Distractions (2021), it reflects a kind of open conversation that is resilient and flexible, both musically and lyrically. Recorded in Girona, Spain, and London, UK, this set of songs is ambitious and exploratory, qualities that have persisted throughout the entirety of Tindersticks’ career. These contrasts find immediate focus in opener New World, the foundation for the album’s recurrent themes of personal worlds knocked somewhat off balance. Frontman Stuart Staples imparts a delightfully sparse and desolate voice. It is further brought to life by Gina Foster’s soulful backing vocals, Dave Boulter’s brooding keys and Julian Siegel’s impeccable brass arrangements. The gospel-tinged refrain “I won’t let my love become
mint feels like something from the early 2000s, replete with faux carelessness and a thudding bassline. The speedy Fake Out could have been created for a movie soundtrack from fellow Texas native Richard Linklater, with high emotion and Dazed and Confused feverishness. Weather Song is a unique ode to painful love, a slow sandy ballad that crawls into the album's denouement, juxtaposing differing temperaments between partners. The track list's final song, titled I Took The Shot, provides a sad antidote to its predecessor, languishing in saudade. Wish On The Bone is a detailed and sprawling album that keeps delivering even after the fifth listen. It requires patience, and honours it with enriching songwriting. Already being heralded by the likes of NPR, it’s not difficult to see that by the time of its next album, Why Bonnie will certainly be performing on every stage across America.
are hidden and buried.” The music rewards introspection. The opening track, altar, offers a pure, resonating, percussive sound that rings throughout; a meditative palette cleanser. Easily one of the album’s most gorgeous moments is transcend / lament. The song contains the achingly sweet crooning sounds of 1990s techno, but complemented by shimmering strings instead of pulsing rhythm. The album deviates from Psychedelic Therapy on the tracks that place much greater emphasis on rhythm. In the veil, deep bass drums and drones swell to a climax, creating a dense sound, which combines an anxious tension with the promise of impending release. The listening experience is one typical of a Jon Hopkins composition. His intent is to harness sound to help listeners confront and work through difficult moments, cultivating open minds and a free state of consciousness.
Words Eitan Orenstein Domino dominomusic.com
my weakness” elevates the chorus into a melodically nuanced and memorable presence. Similarly, Soon To Be April carries a sumptuously melancholic melody, which hypnotically draws the listener in, set somewhat unexpectedly against a shuffle rhythm. In Always A Stranger, personal reflection and intimacy are the key components. Punctuated by some accomplished guitar work from the dexterous Neil Fraser and a lustrous string arrangement by Dan McKinna, the track repays repeated listening, anchored in what is clearly a strong sense of trust between bandmates with a shared belief in deviation. In its entirety, Soft Tissue feels like it is constantly reaching for something, searching for unknown places in an atmosphere of mystery. Restrictions do not seem to be in Tindersticks’ vocabulary and it is this sense of wild ambition that makes the album such an engaging listen.
Words Matt Swain
City Slang cityslang.com
Words
Kyle Bryony
Fire Talk firetalkrecs.com
1The World Atlas of Public Art
A NDREW WASSERMAN
In 1991, a conference at the San Francisco Museum of Art outlined the blueprint for a new type of public sculpture. Organised by American artist, writer and educator Suzanne Lacy, it led to Mapping the Terrain –the first collection of writings on the subject from artists, critics and curators like Allan Kaprow, Judy Baca and Lucy Lippard. Focus shifted from traditional examples – statues in parks and plazas – to projects by the likes of Judy Chicago, Maya Lin and Nancy Holt that actively engaged with audiences. Three decades on, The World Atlas of Public Art surveys similar works, constructed across seven continents, from 1960 to the present-day. Examples include an abstract steel sculpture that towers over a traffic island in Spoleto, Italy; soaring vertical gardens enhanced with digital technology in Singapore’s Marina Bay; and a skateboard bowl that doubles
2Adaptation
A NASTASIA SAMOYLOVA
Anastasia Samoylova’s (b. 1984) fascination with visual culture comes to the fore in Adaptation. This volume marks the first major survey of the celebrated photographer’s work, bringing together 195 prints across six of her iconic projects – from Floridas to Image Cities. The collection begins with Landscape Sublime. In 2013, Samoylova scoured Flickr for familiar keywords, such as “trees in fog” and “tropics.” She printed these shots and shaped them into 3D forms, before flattening them with the camera once more. The resulting pieces burst to life with kaleidoscopic colours, dimensions and textures. A flamingo looks out from a page. Lightning-filled prisms play with perceptions of depth. Elsewhere, skyscraper shards seem to compete for our attention. Samoylova's innovative approach is mirrored in the works by many influential artists, like Liz Nielsen and Penelope Umbrico.
3Louis Stettner
DOCUMENTING 20TH CENTURY LIFE
“I am the world’s best-known unknown photographer,” said Louis Stettner (1922-2016). Now, a new publication attempts to set this right. The largest retrospective of his work to date reveals an awe-inspiring career. It spans from early street photography in 1930s New York to depictions of an empty post-war Paris struggling to come back to life after Nazi occupation, right through to his first foray into colour at the beginning of the 2000s. The book places Stettner at the heart of 20th century photography, being moulded by the artistic giants of the time like Brassaï, Weegee and Sid Grossman, and often influencing them in turn. In the opening chapter, contributing essayist Sally Martin Katz paints a picture of an artist driven by compassion. Stettner had profound faith in humanity, instilled throughout WWII, and a belief that photography should celebrate working people's lives.
as a swimming pool in San Juan, Puerto Rico. These are just a few of the awe-inspiring contemporary pieces featured. Readers are met with gargantuan, vibrant projects by iconic artists like Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Olafur Eliasson, Ruth Asawa, VALIE EXPORT and Yayoi Kusama. The volume is divided into six chapters that are organised geographically: Grounds, Routes, Skies, Structures, Walls and Waters. Each of these sections contains a complex introduction that reveals how the artworks generate meaning from their locations. The writing is brought to life with over 300 eye-catching images, from Rachel Whiteread’s Untitled (House) to Do Ho Suh’s Home Within Home The World Atlas of Public Art shows us that cultural activism is found far beyond the wall of a gallery, introducing artists who transform spaces, promote interaction, nurture community and evoke impassioned responses.
Words Fruzsina Vida
Yale University Press yalebooks.co.uk
Readers learn more about Samoylova’s creative process with each and every page. The section titled Breakfasts shows her morning “ritual” of looking through art books, a daily habit she transformed into a series of still lifes. As you flick through, it's interesting to think about the artist being engaged in the same activity as you are –just one example of how the artist riffs on the act of looking. The images often feature work by other photographers, like Breakfast with Ilse Bing 1931 (2018). A full cup of coffee and a bowl of grapefruit line a page showing Bing’s iconic self-portrait – a pioneer of the avant garde. Samoylova repeatedly transforms what is in front of her eyes. Her artwork is a record of the ways in which she processes everything, from internet snaps to artworks from other creatives. This is an essential volume for those interested in ways of seeing, cropping, cutting or pasting.
Words Diana Bestwish Tetteh
Thames & Hudson thamesandhudson.com
The 1956 series Pepe and Tony features Spanish fishermen, as they labour under the hot sun for long hours. They are photographed with tight framing, removing them from the context of their work, instead focusing on their individuality. Throughout the 1970s, Stettner captured the raw emotions of those working in heavy industry, the work mirroring his own political activism. In the 1980s, the particularly powerful The Bowery series includes portraits of New York's homeless population. Again, the images are closely cropped, and subjects gaze at the camera. We are offered a glimpse of their character. This book begins by asking why Stettner’s work, which so wonderfully foregrounds the poetry of everyday life, is not known by more people. By the end, though, we come to know him intimately. The book makes a compelling argument as to why he should be a household name.
Words Emma Jacob
Thames & Hudson thamesandhudson.com
AVIDYĀ
The work of Avidyā is rooted in the exploration of darkness and suffering, and how the transformative power of art can help with the joy, connection and hope that potentially lies beyond pain. This is expressed via the three-part series Unveiling Suffering, Embracing Love and Light and Innocent Enchantment Avidyā believes that “bringing these shadows into the light offers solace and a sense of solidarity to all who encounter this work.” The solo show Avidyā? Vidyā? will be held at the Women’s Art Association of Canada, Toronto, 17–28 September and then at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 9–14 October. avidya-artist.com | theonenessgallery.com
CAROLINE KAMPFRAATH
Caroline Kampfraath is a Dutch sculptor whose art pieces are known for their thematic depth and are often expressed as installations. A visual language is used, filled with symbols such as engorged veins and kidney-shaped dishes –creating a surreal atmosphere. Photo: @Margaretha Svennson. carolinekampfraath.nl I IG: @carolinekampfraathsculptor
works reflect an art practice that is embodied by a journey of self-healing, in which she turns the experience of trauma into powerful creations. Each piece is a visual statement as well as a psychological narrative – helping to bridge the gap between pain and recovery. binghuisong.com I Instagram: @binghui_song
upon challenges such as mental health, global warming and the destruction of nature. His works stem from journeys made into memories, and the translation of dreams and experiences into messages and designs. Valdetaro is fascinated by shadows and how light interacts with each 3D piece. eduardovaldetaro.com I Instagram: @studiovaldetaro
Aleppo-born artist Iyad Rahwan is based in Berlin. Drawing upon his work as a computer scientist and director of the Max Planck Center for Humans & Machines, his art explores the evolution of AI and its relationship to the human condition. A former professor of Media Arts & Sciences at MIT, Rahwan incorporates the machine’s own evolving representations of the world and its emerging sense of self. His paintings of humanoid robots chronicle his conversations with increasingly-sophisticated AI chatbots, and capture the complex emotions that these intelligent machines evoke in humanity. rahwan.me/art I Instagram: @iyad.rahwan
OANA M. BAKOVIĆ
Fine art photographer Oana M. Baković has a predilection for the natural world – wild, sometimes endangered flora, as well as peculiar plants, large bodies of water and motion. Her ongoing work explores the concept of happiness in nature by introducing special effects such as bubbles and subtle camera movements in images depicting the artist’s favourite local nature spots. www.mrv23.photography
PETER TAUMATE
Montreal-based artist Peter Taumate believes that “we all absorb a significant amount of sensory information on a daily basis, which can sometimes feel overwhelming. However, it’s nothing really mysterious if you take a moment to stand still and look at the constant shifting of our environment. My primary objective in painting is to capture this ephemeral essence, aiding me in unravelling the absurdity of everyday life.” petertaumate.com I Instagram:@petertaumate
RICH DISILVIO
The primary goal for award-winning fine artist Rich DiSilvio is “to focus on the imagination, something no other Earthly being shares.” Oils and acrylics, with an emphasis on digital art, are used to achieve his bold vision. DiSilvio has worked on projects for Pink Floyd, Yes, The Rolling Stones, The Moody Blues and Jay-Z as well as various films. His art appears in numerous collections as well as galleries and museums, including the Tchaikovsky Museum in Russia. richdisilvio.com I digitalvista.net
aaron knight
Sensual and confident women are central to US artist Aaron Knight’s photography. His unorthodox aesthetic balances feminine allure with free-spirited artistry, resulting in works that stand out and are repeatedly selected for Best of PhotoVogue, the SaatchiArt catalogue and Artfinder awards. Knight's limited editions include colour as well as black and white images. aaronknightgallery.com I Instagram: @aaronknightartist
Giovanni Bodigoi
Giovanni Bodigoi is an Italian artist with a background in photography. The Alien Worlds series explores the alienation of life – a world in which human beings are constantly walking, and are endlessly on different levels of their own path, thus they never meet each other. It is a humanity which, although spatially close, is separate and distant. facebook.com/giovanni.bodigoi
karl pont
Multi-award-winning artist Karl Pont uses painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography and performance to explore the freedom and vastness that is reflected in the loss of boundaries. He notes: "Free from societal constraints, free from pain. It is the longing for stillness, inner balance and tranquillity within oneself, which is also a recurring theme." Instagram: @pont.karl
annabel andrews
Spain-based Annabel Andrews harnesses paint to capture the essence of objects, live models and landscapes. Forms and colours emerge from intuition combined with observations of nature and manmade objects. She notes: "The evolution of my painting has followed a circular path –passing through the same points, but each time gaining the capacity for simplification." Instagram: @andrews_visualartist
IRYNA Konstantinova
Multi-award-winning Ukrainian artist Iryna Konstantinova is based in Kyiv. Her varied photography practice includes food, architecture and landscape images. The work shown here illustrates how Konstantinova uses the medium to examine the myriad details found in nature, and explores the natural world's connection with manmade structures. Instagram: @irryna.photo
anna Weichselbaumer
Vienna-based fine artist Anna Weichselbaumer notes that painting can be a language of its own –communicating something through faces, people and situations. Despite the differences between each individual, it can create connections that everyone knows: "Things can be experienced and seen in completely different ways. But telling personal stories can help you to understand others better."
Instagram: @annawei334
deborah Tchoudjinoff
Deborah Tchoudjinoff is a Londonbased multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture and digital media. She is interested in the temporal and spatial aspects of ecologies – in particular how technology constructs, remembers and forgets the stories of past and future ecologies. Tchoudjinoff's practice employs fiction and worldbuilding as well as otherworldly aesthetics.
Instagram: @deboraht_ff
Yimei zhu
Interdisciplinary artist Yimei (Emair) Zhu holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She merges art with technology to explore disability and post-human bodies via interactive media such as wearable, fabric installations. The work challenges traditional views and aims to redefine perception and interaction. The viewer is invited to experience the world from inclusive perspectives. emair-zhu.com
Instagram: @emair_zhu
ivan kanchev
Ivan Kanchev creates new synthetic forms with original techniques of expression. The Bulgaria-based artist assimilates various epochs and types of art, illustrating "civilisation with its contradictions in social, political and philosophical terms. At the centre is a defenceless man who is searching for happiness. At the base is prehistory, with its universal principles. The vessel, with its universal form, collects and conserves." IG: @ivan_kanchev
CECILIA Li
Cecilia Li is a Chinese-Korean fine artist based in New Zealand. She is inspired by the colours and textures of childhood memories, which she notes are "deep in my soul." Further inspiration comes from detailed observations of the world around her. Li's fine art oil paintings have been recognised and lauded by art associations in numerous countries.
Instagram: @cecilialee662
enxi liu
Enxi Liu's works derive from the slow experience of her life and the persistence of time. She explores the multiple possibilities of the combination of sensory time and the body through behaviour, photography and video. These mediums alongside elements such as identity, memory, perception and traces are etched into a slow and subtle cycle of existence. enxiliuart.com
Instagram: @_enxiliu
Award-winning artist Teti lives and works in Minsk. She examines the myriad complexities of life and emphasises aesthetics and reflexivity, and the simultaneity of utopia and dystopia, using minimal visual language. Teti's works have been featured in a variety of solo and group exhibitions and art fairs in London, Paris, Brussels, Zurich, Moscow, Dubai and Miami. works.io/julia-teti theteti.art/about
Zoë Green
UK-based artist Zoë Green's practice showcases bold, colour-rich, vibrant images – via both portraiture and commercial product photography. Through Her Eyes is her most recent project, for which she won the Next Generation 2024 Aesthetica Award at York St John University. Green creates and uses these portraits to explore and examine diverse interpretations of femininity. zoegreenphotograph4.wixsite.com/ zoegreenphotography
Maëlle Dufour
“I come from a family of farmers. Until recently, pesticides were still used frequently and widely, as a miracle potion to safeguard production. Today, biotechnological research is used to modify crops, which raises ecological objections. Capsule evokes a storage silo, which in the eyes of designer Le Corbusier, was a fundamental architectural form and the ultimate symbol of progress. The idea for the piece developed following a residency in Avesnois in the North of France – a farming region where the traditional, semi-open bocage landscape is under pressure. I want to question the human urge for complete control of nature by contrasting artificial reflective surfaces with the surrounding environment. It distorts and confuses us, shifting based on our vantage point.” Beaufort24 runs until 3 November. triennalebeaufort.be
Maëlle Dufour, Capsule (2024). Beaufort 24, De Panne.
