Aesthetica Magazine Issue 96 by Aesthetica Magazine

Aesthetica

THE ART & CULTURE MAGAZINE

www.aestheticamagazine.com

Issue 96 August / September 2020

INTIMATE PORTRAITURE

MODES OF ICONOGRAPHY

DIGITISED LANDSCAPES

Mountain terrains present a test bed for responsive architecture

Zanele Muholi’s powerful imagery provides a reclamation of the lens

Photography taking influence from selfie culture and pop consumerism

Five artists address the effects of global warming across the world

UK £5.95 Europe €11.95 USA $15.49

DESIGN AS ADVENTURE

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Welcome Editor’s Note

On the Cover Yannis Davy Guibinga’s bold portraits are part of an expansive conversation about the representation of Africa and its diaspora. Guibinga explores a breadth of cultures and identities whilst tackling biased or limited perspectives of the continent and its communities. (p. 104) Cover Image: Ivy Guerrier-Cadet and Atlas Hapy for Nikon Z50 from the series Of Colour (2020). Photography by Yannis Davy Guibinga.

To say this has been an unprecedented time is an understatement. I started the April / May issue with those very words, but now, somehow, they have become vacuous. The world has changed. I have changed. For better or for worse, this is the way we live now. Sometimes, I feel like I’m in mourning. The loss we feel for all the things we left behind is extraordinary. It’s the simple things that we often take for granted that have developed the most meaning over the past few months. Still, there are fleeting moments from lockdown that I will cherish. Sometimes there are no words to describe the extent of what we are going through right now, but we can take comfort in humanity’s resilience over the last few months. Now is the time. This modest sentence is the driving force behind the August / September issue. It’s a phrase that is bold and empowering. It is a call to action. Beyond lockdown, the economic downturn and the climate crisis, we must stand united in support of Black Lives Matter. As a global community, we must change. There is no place for racism in today’s world. We must join together and fight against it. Inside this issue, we look at the forthcoming Zanele Muholi exhibition, due to open at Tate Modern, London, later this year. Muholi is a South African artist who transgresses the boundaries of race, gender and sexuality with a body of work that reclaims the lens for black lesbian, gay, transgender and intersex individuals. We interview Tate's curator to expand on the themes in this groundbreaking show. We also survey artists who are harnessing technology to illuminate the severity of the climate crisis, in partnership with Google Arts & Culture Lab. These vital projects remind us of how every action has an environmental cost. We must learn to change and adapt to save the planet. There is also a presentation of Next Generation photographers – a feature achieved in partnership with London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. In our image features, we showcase five names that move between fine art, digital renders, fashion and editorial photography. Cherie Federico

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contents

Art 14 News This edition includes David Goldblatt's first solo show in London since 1986, as well as Bildhalle's summer presentation that brings travel indoors.

20 10 to See As the world begins to re-open, we list 10 key exhibitions to safely experience and enjoy over the next two months, either in person or online.

24 Intimate Portraiture Zanele Muholi is a visual activist who reclaims the lens, providing a platform for black lesbian, gay, transgender and intersex individuals.

30 Imagined Architecture Alexis Christodoulou is a Cape Town-based artist who specialises in three-dimensional renders. He draws on the parameters of video game graphics.

40 Design as Adventure Mountains cover one fifth of the earth’s surface, but are only sparsely populated. We look at how unforgiving terrains offer a test bed for new ideas.

50 Sense of Connection Julia Fullerton-Batten’s latest series, Looking Out From Within, was shot over the last few months of lockdown across London neighbourhoods.

58 Modes of Iconography With the role of the selfie, how has portraiture changed? Is any idea authentic? Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song consider new visual archetypes.

64 Structural Manipulation Alex Lysakowski's unexpected compositions focus on over-consumption and global production, as seen through exaggerated architectural forms.

74 Playful Combinations Ulaş Kesebir & Merve Türkan utilise bold primary colours and minimal sets, using draping materials and block furniture to subvert domestic spaces.

84 Nocturnal Exploration The seventh edition of Next Generation, an annual feature showcasing new photography graduates from the London College of Communication.

98 Digitised Landscapes Following a UN report on the effects of a 1.5°C increase, Google Arts & Culture’s Heartbeat of the Earth series makes sense of the key conclusions.

104 Vivid Depiction Yannis Davy Guibinga’s pronounced photographs are part of an expansive conversation about the representation of Africa and its wider diaspora.

Class of 2020

Film

Music

116 Buckinghamshire New University In lieu of a physical degree show, we provide the space for 12 students to present their final portfolios before they enter into the art world.

122 Stoic Performance Rare and vital is a film such as Clemency – a slow, unflinching portrait of a senior prison warden who has dedicated her life to carrying out executions.

124 Creating The Space 2020 marks nearly a decade of friendship and pop-collaboration for Paul "Polocorp" ArmandDelille and Alexandre "Peter Pan" Grynszpan.

Books

Artists’ Directory

Last Words

126 Experimentation and Discovery Some of the world’s most prodigious architects have created innovative solutions to American residential architecture over the past 120 years.

139 Inside this Issue Practitioners in this edition combine a variety of materials and approaches to express creative and critical responses to a rapidly changing world.

146 Rachel Louise Brown The photographer and Photo Director at Harper's Bazaar discusses the act of wandering alone in darkness to capture nighttime mise-en-scène.

Aesthetica Magazine is trade marked worldwide. © Aesthetica Magazine Ltd 2020.

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

Advertisement Enquiries: Megan Hobson (0044) (0)844 568 2001 advertising@aestheticamagazine.com

ISSN 1743-2715. All work is copyrighted to the author or artist. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without permission from the publisher. Published by Cherie Federico and Dale Donley. Aesthetica Magazine PO Box 371, York, YO23 1WL, UK (0044) (0)844 568 2001 Newstrade Distribution: Warners Group Publications plc. Gallery & Specialist Distribution: Central Books. Printed by Warners Midlands plc.

Advertising Coordinator: Megan Hobson Artists’ Directory Coordinator: Katherine Smira Production Director: Dale Donley Operations Manager: Cassandra Weston Designer: Laura Tordoff Technical Coordinator: Andy Guy Contributors: Thomas McMullan Charlotte R-A Diane Smyth Beth Webb Gunseli Yalcinkaya Reviewers: Kyle Bryony James Mottram Jack Solloway Matt Swain

Artists’ Directory Enquiries: Katherine Smira (0044) (0)844 568 2001 directory@aestheticamagazine.com Subscriptions: subscriptions@aestheticamagazine.com (0044) (0)844 568 2001 General Enquiries: info@aestheticamagazine.com Press Releases: pr@aestheticamagazine.com Follow us: aestheticamagazine.com facebook.com/aestheticamagazine twitter.com/AestheticaMag pinterest.com/AestheticaMag instagram.com/AestheticaMag

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Installation view, Shara Hughes: Day By Day By Day, Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Rämistrasse, Zurich, 2020 © Shara Hughes. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich / New York. Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zurich.

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Inner Landscapes SHARA HUGHES: DAY BY DAY BY DAY A tree emerges from rivers of yellow. Patches of red and green cascade into a colourful panorama. Blue lightning strikes down from billowing clouds. These are the “psychological landscapes” of New York-based Shara Hughes (b. 1981). The imaginary scenes – which were included in the 2017 Whitney Biennial – are now on view in Day By Day By Day, a new show at Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Rämistrasse, Zurich. Hughes' paintings and drawings build on the literary device of pathetic fallacy, in which human emotions are reflected in aspects of nature, such as the weather. In one painting, purple rain lashes down in sheets. In another, a red sun peers out from jagged moss-coloured mountains. Nature is everpresent in this bright collection, with works such as Dried Up Riverbed or Erosion referring to changes in the environment. Other titles, such as Anxiety on the Horizon and Turbulance, bring together the artist’s innermost thoughts, with depictions of rolling clouds and dark, twisted palm trees. These works are designed to stimulate various layers of the subconscious. Expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colours collide on paper and canvas, creating bold statements of self-reflection. Hughes’ process is intuitive and immediate, realised through ink, watercolour, markers, crayons, oil pastels, pencils and paint pens. The essence of these materials does not allow for many changes, so when work starts, Hughes rarely knows the destination. In addition, each draw-

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ing is finished in one session. The process is all about the “I believe the drawings present moment – living day by day. It is a statement that work as a release will resonate with many people in light of the pandemic. of my subconscious “I often think about my drawings as a run-on sentence that rather than something never ends,” the artist explains, positioning her works as part that has evolved and of an unfinished whole. “I believe the drawings work as a re- resolved itself. They lease of my subconscious rather than something that has open up questions; evolved and resolved itself. They open up questions; that’s that's the kind of the kind of vulnerable edge I’m looking for.” vulnerable edge Hughes cites Fauvism, Symbolism, Art Nouveau and I'm looking for.” German Expressionism as influences. This varied pool of inspiration results in an oeuvre that's full of energy, texture and meaning. To illuminate this, Galerie Eva Presenhuber’s show is accompanied by a catalogue that translates the dynamism of each canvas. Published by DCV, the book presents numerous works on paper – most of them in large formats – plus an essay by New York-based art critic Andrew Russeth. As well as being influenced by a roster of key historical movements, Hughes introduces a new technique in Day By Day By Day. The “monoprint drawings” are works made Galerie Eva using the discarded sheets of former prints. They “are neither Presenhuber, a copy nor a different version of another print but rather a Rämistrasse Zurich literal déjà-vu, a landscape one may have already seen Until 19 September before, or might be a mere effect of one’s imagination.” This show is full of inner landscapes to explore and discover. presenhuber.com

Playing with Perception IN REAL LIFE

Olafur Eliasson, Moss wall, 1994. Reindeer moss, wood, wire. Dimensions variable. Installation view: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2020. Photo: Erika Ede. Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles. © 1994 Olafur Eliasson.

In 2003, Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967) transformed Tate Mod- a controlled indoor environment with natural aromas and “Eliasson is best ern’s Turbine Hall into a dazzling space dominated by a textures. Similarly, the immersive installation Beauty (1993) known for playing glowing orange sun. The Weather Project was a memorable injects rainbows into a dark room – synthesising a vivid with human perception, and installation that broke new ground; it blended art and inter- spectrum with fine mist and bright spotlights. Eliasson is best known for playing with human percep- has worked with action with a deep concern for the climate. Since then, the Danish-Icelandic artist has continued to respond to social tion. He has worked with both mirrors and reflections since both mirrors and and environmental issues through creativity and advocacy. the mid-1990s, making optical illusions that appear to re- reflections since the The results are on display as part of In Real Life – a retrospec- configure space. At Guggenheim Bilbao are Your spiral view mid-1990s, making (2002) and Your planetary window (2019), which encourage optical illusions tive at the newly re-opened Guggenheim Bilbao. Warmer temperatures have caused the Greenland ice sheet audiences to see the museum in new ways. In a similar vein, that appear to to lose around 200-300 billion tonnes of ice per year, a rate In Your Uncertain Shadow (Colour) is a brand new piece that reconfigure space.” that is expected to increase dramatically. Eliasson’s works encourages audiences to walk in front of bright lights, castfunction as a call for action to address this crisis. In 1999, ing fleeting and vibrant silhouettes on the walls. In Real Life is part of the museum’s wider summer prodriven by a strong childhood connection to the landscape, Eliasson photographed several dozen glaciers in Iceland. 20 gramme of exhibitions and events. William Kentridge: 7 Fragyears later, he returned to capture the same landmarks again. ments celebrates the acclaimed South African video artist, The glacier melt series 1999/2019 (2019) brings together exploring the history of cinema through dreamlike visuals. 30 pairs of images – revealing the dramatic and palpable Lygia Clark: Painting as an Experimental Field takes a fresh look at the abstraction pioneer, featuring works from 1948impact global warming is having on our world. Scandinavian topographies provide Eliasson with a constant 1958. Audiences can also discover the career of Richard source of inspiration. From weather patterns to fauna and Artschwager (1923-2013), who developed a unique visual flora, his pieces draw on the elements to foreground our language using new domestic materials from the mid-to- Guggenheim Bilbao, changing relationship with the planet. Featured below is Moss late 20th century. For audiences connecting from home, Until 4 April Wall (1994), an installation made from native reindeer lichen. #GuggenheimBilbaoLive is an online portal full of informaIt brings the outdoors into the gallery space – juxtaposing tion, inspiration and illuminating video interviews. guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en

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David Goldblatt, Soweto: At the Soccer Cup Final, Orlando Stadium,1972. Silver gelatin print on fibre-based paper. Courtesy The Goldblatt Legacy Trust and Goodman Gallery London, Johannesburg, Cape Town.

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Critical Observation DAVID GOLDBLATT: JOHANNESBURG 1948-2018 “Johannesburg is not an easy city to love. From its beginnings as a mining camp in 1886, whites did not want brown and black people living among or near them, and over the years pushed the communities further from the city and its white suburbs. Like the city itself, my thoughts and feelings about Joburg are fragmented. I can’t bring a coherent bundle of ideas to mind and say, ‘That’s Joburg for me.’” David Goldblatt (1930-2018) was a South African photographer who documented and critiqued racial discrimination, focusing on the ways it became intrinsic to the community’s lived experiences – both in the public and private realms. Johannesburg 1948-2018 marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in London since 1986. The featured images (available to view in the gallery or online) span 70 years, reflecting Goldblatt’s wider desire to understand the context of segregation, favouring quiet moments of innate tension rather than oblique oppression. He was engaged in the conditions of society – the values by which people lived – rather than the climactic outcomes of those conditions. Liza Essers, Owner and Director of Goodman Gallery, expands on the emphasis behind the exhibition: “Goldblatt was not a front-line photographer, but was – as he put it – ‘drawn to the quiet and commonplace where nothing happened yet everything was immanent.’ He travelled through Joburg and its surrounds, critically observing the

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value systems embedded in its structures. The subtlety in this “The featured images approach allowed his work to uncover difficult realities about reflect Goldblatt's a society pervaded by racial inequality, trauma and injustice.” desire to understand The diverse selection of works has been organised themati- the context of cally rather than chronologically. Audiences take a journey segregation, favouring through rare prints – including early vintage compositions quiet moments from the 1970s and 2000s – as well as pieces from the Struc- of innate tension tures of Dominion and Democracy project. Despite this varied rather than oblique display, Goodman’s show does have a special focus, provid- oppression. He ing a large space for the Soweto series. This iconic photo- was engaged in the essay captured everyday acts – from sports and religious conditions of society.” gatherings to shopkeepers and children playing – in the township of Soweto. These images explored a location that was bubbling with trauma and resistance. Soweto was one of many places where black South Africans could live in order to serve white populations in the inner cities. It later emerged as a political hotbed – home to historic protests – and was given a renewed impetus as the epicentre for an uprising. Johannesburg 1948-2018 is the first show to feature in Goodman’s official reopening, with a pre-booking system for individual appointments. It comes at a necessary point in time, as Essers notes: “Whilst the show has been in the works Goodman Gallery, London for a while, this is a pertinent moment in light of the protests Until 15 September around continued racial inequalities. There is, without a doubt, a reverberating resonance to Goldblatt’s work.” goodman-gallery.com

Bringing Travel Indoors FERNWEH

Werner Bischof, Italy, 1950, © Werner Bischof Estate/Magnum Photos.

In the last few months, many of us have dreamt about the ers and water droplets all shot through soft, hazy blues and “Bildhalle's summer possibility of visiting new places, immersing ourselves in the luminous yellows. Cabrera’s series provides a retelling of a show stimulates the memories of summers spent abroad. Whilst we’re still unable mythical tale about the child Krishna – wrongly accused senses through the to travel internationally, Galerie Bildhalle, Zurich, evokes the of eating dirt instead of the fruit from surrounding trees. imagination, pulling excitement of journeys. This group show allows viewers to Cabrera’s series of elemental and mysterious images sug- viewers into the imaging flying to Naples with René Burri and Werner Bischof; gest to the viewer that everything they see – no matter how warm heat of the small – contains the divinity of the universe. Mediterranean Sea; to Rio with Thomas Hoepker; to Japan with Paul Cupido. Many connections can be made across the images. A mini- the smell of sane; the Mirjam Cavegn, Founder, notes: “People are driven by a deep longing to travel again. That which was normal before mal seascape by Sandro Diener provides a compositional boundless potential – perhaps being able to do a short trip when the impulse equivalent to an iconic black and white photo by Bischof, of the horizon.” takes you – is no longer possible. The very concept of travel which depicts the harbor of Hong Kong in the early 1950s. is burdened by uncertainty, measures and precautions. So, Meanwhile, Thomas Hoepker’s Copacabana beach (shot in to be carried away by art is a beautiful and meaningful 1968) is mirrored in another of Cabrera’s works which dealternative for now. Of course, this can be achieved through picts children playing carelessly along the beach. Cavegn literature, paintings or music, but I think that photographs explains: “Whilst the language and technical possibilities of provide a strong visual catalyst: they evoke memories and photography have developed and changed over the years, the feeling they radiate is still the same. Then and now: artists can even instil the desire to venture beyond the known.” Highlights of the show include an aerial view of Italy in have been deeply attracted by the beauty of foreign places.” Bildhalle’s summer show stimulates the senses through 1950 by Werner Bischof (pictured below). The image, cast in dramatic monochrome, shows a cluster of umbrellas the imagination, pulling viewers into the warm heat of the spilling out into a city square, catching a bustle of activity Mediterranean Sea; the smell of the sand; the boundless Galerie Bildhalle, Zurich as groups gather in a sliver of sunlight. Other parts of the potential of the horizon. Golden light illuminates cities, Until 22 August show take a more conceptual approach. Albarrán Cabrera’s deserts and beaches, whilst a sense of freedom permeates Mouth of Krishna (2020), for example, shows trees stretching through rippling water, bare skin and open skylines. A virtual 3D Tour Available Online upwards into cloudless skies, as well as mountain tops, flow- tour is also available, transporting viewers through the screen. bildhalle.ch/en

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Anne Zahalka, Exotic Birds, 2017. Source: American Museum of Natural History. Archival pigment ink on rag paper, 80 x 80 cm.

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Anthropological Perspective FROM ALL POINTS OF THE SOUTHERN SKY In recent months, amidst global crises, we have experienced a profound period of coming together: community blossoming in adversity. From All Points of the Southern Sky: from Australia and Oceania is a powerful group show, curated by Ashley Lumb, about collective action and shared responsibility. It opens at Florida’s Southeast Museum of Photography this September, when these messages have a renewed sense of power. The 13 featured names demonstrate how art can be a mechanism – a rallying cry – turning the lens on the Australian continent and neighbouring countries of Oceania. The works, which have rarely been shown outside of their home nations, explore colonial histories and repressed violence whilst amplifying the voices of Indigenous peoples. Examples include Kurt Sorensen, whose Port of Call series combines history and anthropology to explore legacies of incarceration. The portraits – made using 19th century techniques – depict contemporary descendants of early European settlers. The haunting project, achieved with wet plate collodian negatives, harks back to 1788 and the First Fleet, which carried 736 convicts and British troops over to the continent. These groups went on to establish the first colony of New South Wales at Sydney Cove. Meanwhile, Anne Zahalka challenges stereotypical, picturepostcard representations of Australia: redressing a culturally skewed, often Anglocentric record of its landscapes. Hand-

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coloured and digitally embellished archival photographs reference museologial dioramas. The images present a more truthful representation of nature in the Anthropocene, which are further subverted by digital intervention. Aluminium cans litter pastel-coloured landscapes; habitats of native fauna are stripped bare; painted backdrops blaze on the horizon. Stories are also at the heart of Tobias Titz’s portraits. The Polaroid Project provides Indigenous Australians, immigrants and refugees with both visual and textual representation – allowing for both a voice and identity to shine through. Titz creates diptychs that include powerful questions and statements such as: “How come we had to become a citizen of our own country? We were here first!” These words comment on the 1967 referendum in which Australians voted to amend the constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census, in turn allowing the Commonwealth to create laws for them. Many of the artists are further connected by their concerns for the climate crisis. This year, Australia suffered the most catastrophic bushfires on record. The fires began in mid2019, and more than 240 days and 46 million acres later, they were still blazing. Stephen Dupont’s work explores the impact of the “Black Summer” in which an estimated one billion animals died, with some species now extinct. From All Points of the Southern Sky reflects on the power of images to reveal hidden truths when they are needed the most.

“The 13 photographers demonstrate how art can be a rallying cry, turning the lens on the Australian continent and neighbouring countries of Oceania. The works explore colonial histories and repressed violence whilst amplifying Indigenous voices.”

Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona 22 September 13 December smponline.org

Decisions at the Crossroads OLI KELLETT: FELLOW HUMANS possibility to slow down in an increasingly fast-paced world. Other inspirations include The Düsseldorf School and German photographer Thomas Struth (b. 1954), who is recognised for vast – yet extraordinarily detailed – prints of advanced technology and built environments. Both Struth and Kellett are intrigued by how people interact with space, resulting in a precise documentation of the world. It is from Struth, amongst others, that Kellett got the idea to produce variations of the same scene – seeming repeats. The resulting compositions, although polished and precise, are never staged. “I am never sure what I am going to find or who is going to come into frame. I don't look for people or hunt people down. I show up with my kit, set up and wait for someone to turn up on the other side of the road. I feel like we meet in the middle and then go our separate ways.” The project began in 2016 when Kellett was visiting Los Angeles during the lead-up to the presidential election. The country was at a literal political crossroads. Since then, the series has continued to evolve – taking on a more universal meaning. Now, spanning locations including Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Mexico City – it has become more about individual people and the directions they choose to take. “I do wonder about the people I take photographs of,” he concludes. “That is why I am taking them in the first place. They are just fellow people, fellow humans.”

“The project began in 2016 when Kellett was visiting Los Angeles during the lead-up to the presidential election. The country was at a literal political crossroads. Since then, the series has taken on a more universal meaning.”

HackelBury Fine Art, London, 10 September 31 October Viewing Rooms Online hackelbury.co.uk

Oli Kellett, Cross Road Blues (Dartmounth St, Boston), 2017

The act of walking has taken on new significance in recent months, becoming a cherished daily activity for individuals during isolation. It has offered many people a moment of escape and discovery – a chance to see familiar places with fresh eyes and to meet with loved ones at a distance. “Walking is an honest thing to do; it lets the city wash over you,” notes British photographer Oli Kellett (b. 1983), whose work draws on the relationship between humans and the landscape. On display at HackelBury Fine Art, London, Cross Road Blues is made up of large-scale photographs taken at crossroads in cities across North and South America. “Everybody has to wait to cross the road. It allows people to have a few seconds of space – to wait and to contemplate. This is what I have been looking for in the last three years.” The results are deeply cinematic. Unnamed individuals pause at stop signs, overshadowed by looming buildings and bathed in shafts of warm light. Kellett cites Edward Hopper (1882-1967) amongst his influences, drawing on the painter’s interest in silent spaces and melancholic moments. “The crossroads becomes this space where (I like to think) people are wrestling with big ideas: guidance, morality and the weight of decision-making,” Kellett states, revealing a deeper interest in the human psyche and spatial awareness. These images contrast the anonymity of urban spaces with the individuality of our experiences, reminding us of the

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art

10 to See RECOMMENDED EXHIBITIONS: LIVE AND VIRTUAL

As galleries begin to re-open, find out about the latest exhibitions available to visit either in person or online. From digital residencies to photography collections, these shows ask poignant questions about the state of the world as it defines a new "normal."

Centropy Kunsthalle Basel | Until 11 October

kunsthallebasel.ch For Deana Lawson's (b. 1979) participation in the 34th São Paulo Biennale, the American photographer was invited to travel to Bahia, Brazil, to explore the concept of blackness as well as the wider visual representation of the African diaspora. The resulting series, entitled Centropy, incudes meticulously staged images with a mysterious and ambiguous atmosphere. Each composition balances voyeuristic, ethnographic and theatrical perspectives, moving fluidly between indoor and outdoor places whilst offering a sense of intimacy with the characters.

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Spazio Disponibile Power Plant, Toronto | Until 30 August

thepowerplant.org Dawit L. Petros (b. 1972) creates transnational art that explores postcolonialism and migration, in particular through histories that connect East Africa and Europe. Spazio Disponibile, is Italian for “available space.” The exhibition utilises archive material to scrutinise gaps in European memory, particularly that of modern Italy. The works make reference to vacant advertising sections in Rivista Coloniale, a 20th century magazine connected to the Italian colonial project. Petros alludes to the idea that Africa has been an "available" space to exploit.

Ensayos: Passages New Museum, New York | Until 15 September

newmuseum.org New Museum presents the first ever online artist residency this summer. Ensayos, an international collective, displays work from June until September. “Ensayos” – which roughly translates in English to “enquiries” or “rehearsals” – brings together a fascinating group of artists, scientists, activists and policymakers who have explored eco-politics over the last decade. They have launched distinct investigations into archipelagos – groups of closely scattered islands. This programme examines ocean advocacy, eco-feminism and costal health.

Wabi Sabi IBASHO, Antwerp | Until 30 August

ibashogallery.com The title of this unique exhibition does not translate easily. In Japanese, “Wabi” traditionally referred to the loneliness of living in nature – remote from society – whilst “sabi” meant “chill” or “withered.” At the turn of the 14th century, these words began to take on more positive connotations, referencing a beauty of things that are imperfect, impermanent or incomplete. IBASHO invites nine Japanese artists and three non-Japanese artists to consider the specificities of this aesthetic concept, moving between ceramics, photography and sculpture.

Ten Years of Reportage Fondation Carmignac, Porquerolles | Until 1 November

fondationcarmignac.com Carmignac Photojournalism Award commemorates a decade of groundbreaking entries. This survey demonstrates the courage and independence of photojournalists who have witnessed irreparable damage placed on the planet as well as harrowing accounts of human rights violations and attacks on freedom of expression. This retrospective brings together powerful projects that illuminate the destruction of Gaza, human trafficking in Nepal and the startling effects of global warming in the Arctic Circle through a display of over 100 photographs.

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Eye to I Boca Museum, Boca Raton | Until 20 September

bocamuseum.org Taken from Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery collection, Eye to I highlights how American artists have portrayed themselves through painting, drawing, photography and video since the beginning of the 20th century. Practitioners approach self-representation in myriad ways – from realistic renderings to conceptual alter-egos that reveal or conceal inner lives. The featured image here depicts María Magdalena Campos-Pons (b. 1959) – a Cuban-born artist who examines issues of belonging, identity and wider cultural assimilation.

Trevor Paglen PACE, London | 10 September - 11 November

pacegallery.com PACE gallery, located in Burlington Gardens, reopens its physical space with a showcase of new works by Trevor Paglen (b. 1974). This includes the new Flowers series – a collection of large-scale photographs that include flower formations which have been conceptualised by algorithm. The colours and shapes in the compositions are dictated by the complex AI programme. Paglen notes: “Artificial Intelligence has become ubiquitous. [These] works provide a small glimpse into platforms that track faces, nature and human behaviour.”

Human Territoriality Robert Morat Galerie | Until 19 September

robertmorat.de “Borders are a means of separation. They separate two sides, defining a 'here' and 'there.' But they also delineate what lies within the boundaries, instilling a sense of safety and security. Although they stake a claim to permanence, nothing is as changeable as boundary lines. So, it is ironic that entire nations should develop so much pride on the basis of existing borders, when they are artificial constructs that are constantly changing.” Human Territoriality provides a selection of Roger Eberhard’s (b. 1984) photographs of former borders around the world.

Inner Universe

Galerie Templon, Paris | Until 30 September

viewingroom.templon.com Chiharu Shiota’s (b. 1972) works are available to see online with Inner Universe. Through Templon’s viewing rooms, access a series of the artist’s signature sculptures in red, white and black threads. A collection of mysterious boxes deconstruct our conception of the body through suspended clothes, anatomy books and personal belongings. Meanwhile, two in-situ installations invite audiences on a poetic journey to finding and interpreting the idea of an eternal consciousness; layers of tangled threads exemplify the boundlessness of the universe.

The Holy Third Gender Perrotin, New York | Until 21 August

perrotin.com The Holy Third Gender: Kinnar Sadhu is the first solo exhibition of New York-based, French photographer and cinematographer Guillaume Ziccarelli. Central to this display is a short documentary film based on the sacred Kumbh Mela festival – a Hindu event that takes place every 12 years across four locations. The 2019 iteration marked a historic moment for India’s transgender individuals. Ziccarelli travelled to Allahabad, India, to document their controversial initiation into the festival as equal, spiritual leaders, viewed very much as saints. 1. Deana Lawson, The Garden, 2015. © Deana Lawson. Courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York. Part of the solo exhibition Deana Lawson: Centropy, at Kunsthalle Basel (9 June - 11 October 2020) co-produced with Fundação Bienal de São Paulo as part of the 34th Bienal de São Paulo – Though it’s dark, still I sing. 2. Dawit L. Petros, Untitled (Overlapping and intertwined territories that fall from view II), 2019. 30x37.5”, archival colour pigment prints. Courtesy the artist. 3. Christy Gast, Fuegian Archipelago, 2016 digital photograph, dimensions variable. 4. Nobuyuki Kobayashi - wa, 2000, copyright Nobuyuki Kobayashi, courtesy IBASHO. 5. Groenland, Disko Bay, July 2018. Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR for Fondation Carmignac. 6. Untitled from the series When I am not Here, Estoy alla. Artist: María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Dye diffusion transfer print 1996. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Julia P. and Horacio Herzberg © María M. Campos-Pons 7. Trevor Paglen, Flowers 07, 2020. Dye sublimation print. 40 ½ × 54 in. Copyright Trevor Paglen. Courtesy of the artist and PACE Gallery. 8. Roger Eberhard, 24 th Parallel South, Chile, 2018. Courtesy of Robert Morat Galerie. 9. Exhibition view of Inner Universe by Chiharu Shiota at Galerie Templon, 28 rue Grenier-Saint Lazare, Paris. Artwork shown: Out of my body, 2020 – installation of seven pieces of cowhide and goat leather. Varying dimensions. Image by Photos © Bertrand Huet (Tutti Images). 10. Guillaume Ziccarelli. Shalu, Manisha, Rishika, 2020. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.

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Intimate Portraiture Zanele Muholi MUHOLI IS A VISUAL ACTIVIST WHOSE IMAGES RECLAIM THE LENS, OFFERING A VITAL PLATFORM FOR BLACK LESBIAN, GAY, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX INDIVIDUALS.

Zanele Muholi’s (b. 1972) images have captivated the world. Creating direct, powerful portraits, the South African artist and visual activist works across photography, video and installation, focusing on race, gender and sexuality. Muholi uses the lens as a space for reclamation – of both gaze and representation. The artist has won a number of prestigious prizes, accolades and honours, including an Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in 2016, a Chevalier de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2016 and an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2018. This autumn, Tate Modern, London, presents the artist's first major UK survey. Sarah Allen, co-curator of Zanele Muholi 2020, expands on the themes in the show as part of Tate's wider programming, as well as the impact of this groundbreaking work over the last few decades.

Johannesburg, and as part of a conference at the University of Western Cape entitled Gender & Visuality, garnered national media attention. It was very clear that Muholi had an unflinching and unique approach to an important subject matter and their career progressed quite quickly from then.

A: Muholi devoted years to the Faces and Phases series (started in 2006), which directed the camera at members of the black lesbian and trans community in South Africa. Can you discuss how this series began, and how it developed over the years that followed? SA: The first image that Muholi shot for Faces and Phases was of Busi Sigasa – a talented activist and poet who has written a beautiful poem called Remember Me When I'm Gone, which will feature in the Tate show this autumn. The importance of creating an archive to commemorate and celebrate the lives of black queer individuals in South Africa A: How did Zanele Muholi’s artistic career begin? SA: Muholi’s entrance to the art world was through activism. really built from that first portrait. The series now includes Amongst early activist work they wrote for the queer blog several hundred portraits of lesbian, transmen and gender Behind the Mask, and in 2002 they co-founded Forum for non-conforming individuals. This is an ongoing project the Empowerment of Women (FEW) in Gauteng – a non- for Muholi, who returns to re-photograph participants profit organisation that promotes and protects the rights of again over time. It is a lifelong series and a living archive. lesbian, bisexual and transsexual women and provides a safe I find that level of artistic dedication incredibly moving. A space for these people to meet and organise. In 2003, they really critical element of the project is giving voice to the graduated from Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg. individuals so that they can speak for themselves rather than Shortly after in 2004, Muholi’s first solo exhibition – Visual be spoken for. The publication Faces and Phases includes Sexuality: Only Half the Picture – was presented at the many testimonies from the participants which reveal the Johannesburg Art Gallery. This, along with their inclusion in diversity of the black queer community. Currently, I am the group show Is Everybody Comfortable? at Museum Africa, reviewing video testimonies that will feature in the exhibition.

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Zanele Muholi (b.1972), Detail, Bona, Charlottesville 2015. Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper. 800 x 506 mm. Courtesy of the Artist and Stevenson, Cape Town/Johannesburg and Yancey Richardson, New York. © Zanele Muholi.

“The overhelming narrative of black lesbians in the media in South Africa is one of victimhood. This dichotomy between visibility and invisibility is at the core of Muholi's work.”

Previous Page: Zanele Muholi (b.1972), Bester I, Mayotte 2015. Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper. 700 x 505 mm. Courtesy of the Artist and Stevenson, Cape Town/ Johannesburg and Yancey Richardson, New York. © Zanele Muholi. Left: Zanele Muholi (b.1972), Ntozakhe II, Parktown 2016. Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper. 1000 x 720 mm Courtesy of the Artist and Stevenson, Cape Town/Johannesburg and Yancey Richardson, New York. © Zanele Muholi.

Within these works, the participants tell their side of the story, sharing their experiences and powerful testimonies of navigating gender, sexuality and race in South Africa today. A: Muholi started the series in the same year that South Africa – the only country on the continent – legalised same-sex marriage. Of course, discrimination and violence are still rife in South Africa, and across the entire world, in spite of this legislation. How do these images remedy a history of black queer invisibility? SA: It is without doubt that black queer individuals in South Africa suffer from under-representation and a certain level invisibility. But equally, writer Pumla Dineo Gqola makes the important point that they also suffer from a state of “hypervisibility” – one which can make them the target of homophobic hate-crime. The overwhelming narrative of black lesbians in the media in South Africa then becomes one of victimhood. This dichotomy between visibility and invisibility is at the core of Muholi’s work. They document survivors of hate-crimes but also try to create a form of counter-representation against the predominant narrative by creating a positive visual document that will live on beyond them.

years documenting the hardships of their community in South Africa – which have included many deaths, murders and corrective rapes. Somnyama Ngonyama offered an opportunity to heal some of these personal wounds whilst also addressing broader issues related to race and representation. A: The Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness) series includes self-portraits, presenting alter egos that boldly hold the viewer’s gaze. How does this body of work, and the Brave Beauties series come together to challenge Eurocentric definitions of beauty? SA: Beauty is a powerful word to describe Muholi’s body of work. But it isn’t a beauty born by artificial means – in Muholi’s portraits of others they don’t employ elaborate lighting, makeup or staging techniques. Rather, each participant projects their own beauty on their own terms. In relation to challenging Eurocentric definitions of beauty I think one could read the darkening of skin tone in Somnyama Ngonyama as an act of reclaiming blackness – of challenging a dominant conception of lighter skin as a canon of beauty.

A: The artist’s head is often crowned with everyday objects, such as pegs, sponges and hair picks. What A: Why did Muholi move onto self-portraiture? What new do these objects signify? How do they operate, both thematically and structurally in each piece? creative and professional avenues did this genre lend? SA: Although many people know Muholi’s work from the SA: Muholi uses material often sourced from their immedipowerful Somnyama Ngonayama series, Muholi actually ate environment. The various materials speak to particular took self-portraits from a very early point in their career – issues or histories. For example, in Nolwazi II, Nuoro, Italy, and we will show many of these important works at Tate. One 2015, they are crowned in felt-tip pens. This references the of the reasons they made a more decisive turn towards this “pencil test” devised to assist authorities in racial classificamedium is the need for self-healing. Muholi spent many tion under apartheid. When authorities were unsure how a

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Zanele Muholi (b.1972), Julie I, Parktown, Johannesburg 2016. Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper. 660 x 1000 mm. Courtesy of the Artist and Stevenson, Cape Town/Johannesburg and Yancey Richardson, New York.© Zanele Muholi.

person should be classified, a pencil would be pushed into their hair. If the pencil fell out, signalling that their hair was straight (white) rather than curly (black), the person “passed” and was “classified” as white. However, there are other portraits which are much more pared back and don’t feature objects or additional material. I find these images the most haunting. One of my favourite Somnyama images is called Mfana, London 2014. It's a tightly cropped portrait of Muholi staring at the camera straight on. For me personally, it is so raw and honest, as if they have broken through all the white noise of other people’s representation and projections. A: Muholi has noted that their self-portraits pay tribute to family members, LGBTQIA+ communities and many more. To what extent do the images act as “dedications”? SA: The images you refer to, in which Muholi uses pegs and sponges, are dedicated to their mother Bester Muholi, who was a domestic worker for the same middle-class white family for over 40 years. Another image, which is a dedication of sorts, was made in memory of the South African activist Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo. Jacob Zumba was charged with the rape of Kuzwayo in 2005, but was acquitted in 2006. Zumba went on to become president of South Africa in 2009 until his resignation in 2018. Kuzwayo died in 2016 and Muholi made a self-portrait soon after to mark her passing. Though some images act as dedications, Muholi has spoken about how the series can be understood as an attempt to use the body as a canvas to “bring forth political statements.” A: Exhibitions like this have never been more important, dedicating major public institutions to the display and

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celebration of black bodies. How does this exhibition sit within Tate’s response to Black Lives Matter and to diverse cultural programming for the future? SA: Whilst this show has been many years in the planning, it of course holds an even greater resonance in this current moment. I hope it will be a catalyst for more conversations about important issues – not only about race but the LGBTQIA+ community. We’re hugely committed to not only continuing to broaden representation in our programme and collection but also our workforce. Over this year, we’ve held Steve McQueen’s Year 3 series at Tate Britain and solo exhibition at Tate Modern, as well as Kara Walker’s Fons Americanus in the Turbine Hall. We're also looking forward to Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s exhibition at Tate Britain this autumn. This is just a snapshot of some of the work we’re doing. Tate has an influential platform and it’s important we use it to speak out about racial inequality. Our wider aim is to become truly inclusive with a workforce and audience as diverse as the communities we serve. Muholi has often spoken about how they would like to “turn museums into spaces where we can carve out a new dialogue that favours us.” We are working hard to make sure this show achieves that goal.

Right: Qiniso, The Sailes, Durban 2019. Courtesy of the Artist and Stevenson, Cape Town/Johannesburg and Yancey Richardson, New York. ©Zanele Muholi.

Words Kate Simpson

A: What kind of resources are Tate looking into for educating staff and attendees about the exhibition? SA: We want our staff and visitors to have the tools they Zanele Muholi 's new need to explore the exhibition and its themes. We are look- exhibition dates run ing at doing this in a number of different ways – including 5 November - March 2021, commissioning a glossary that deals with terms that are per- Tate Modern, London tinent to Muholi’s practice – and we plan to make contact details for key organisations available in the gallery. tate.org.uk

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Imagined Architecture Alexis Christodoulou

Alexis Christodoulou specialises in three-dimensional renders, influenced by the potential of digital worlds. The Cape Town-based artist has a longstanding fascination for video game graphics, but often found that the presence of contemporary architecture was missing from many gaming platforms. These images are a simple extension of the desire to see fantastical, virtual spaces brought to life with a clean, modern aesthetic. Each composition begins with a simple sketch, inspired by buildings in South Africa or through the renowned work of Italian architect Aldo Rossi – one of the leading exponents of the Postmodern movement. References to David Chipperfield – responsible for The Hepworth, Wakefield; Turner Contemporary, Margate; and Museo Jumex, Mexico City – can also be seen amongst the structures. The renders take on sculptural elements, with undulating rocks, rippling waters and asymmetric curves. alexiscstudio.com.

Alexis Christodoulou, Summer 2022.

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Alexis Christodoulou, Summer 2019.

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Alexis Christodoulou, Summer 2022.

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Alexis Christodoulou, Olgiati and the Volcano 11.

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Alexis Christodoulou, Olgiati and the Volcano 3.

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Alexis Christodoulou, Summer 2018.

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Alexis Christodoulou, Summer 2020.

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Alexis Christodoulou, Olgiati and the Volcano 7.

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Alexis Christodoulou, Olgiati and the Volcano 8.

art

Design as Adventure Living in the Mountains MOUNTAINS ARE THE ULTIMATE TEST FOR ARCHITECTS. THESE COMPLEX TERRAINS ARE SUBJECT TO EXTREME AND UNSTABLE WEATHER, CALLING FOR INGENIOUS DESIGN.

Innovation thrives within constraints. The last few months of lockdown have proved that – within limitations and heavy restrictions – humanity can still find ways to thrive, create and connect. In architecture, there are perhaps no greater limitations for than those posed by a mountain. These high altitudes are bound to extremes – avalanches, storms and impassable terrains – moving from dense forests to barren planes with no signs of vegetation. Building a home in these conditions requires resourceful, adventurous design. “Despite the significant challenges posed by a sloping, difficult-to-access site, the need for specialised and experienced contractors and seasonal working restrictions, the mountains are continually used as sites of architectural experimentation,” note the editors of Phaidon’s Living in the Mountains. “Looking far beyond the vernacular of log cabins and chalets, designers of mountain homes have employed innovative techniques and materials to overcome previous limitations of structure and location – suspending homes over steep slopes or else sinking them deep in the rock.” New York architecture firm GLUCK+’s House in the Mountains (2012), for example, is a guesthouse that has been submerged into the landscape of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Its sloping roof is an insulating and camouflaging “meadow” of grass that avoids imposing on the view from the main house to the south. It looks like an Icelandic turf house, bulging out from the earth. “We found we could conceive of the building as a landform rather than a structure, and thereby gain the flexibility of a much more plastic medium: the ground,” says Charlie Kaplan, Principal Architect at

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GLUCK+. “We folded the ground plane up, and as we did this, we found we could create indoor and outdoor enclosures that could be strategically concealed or revealed. It is a kind of ‘peekaboo’ in which the valley floor – now the new guest house – appears to rise up from the lawn of the main house.” Kaplan says inflecting the ground plane into a single storey (measuring 18-feet) reinforced the idea of the building not as a manmade structure imposing on the mountain, but as a landform that can be used to emphasise the beauty of the surroundings: “Marking and accentuating the landscape moves beyond the idea of making structures to simply 'frame a view.' This extra height works on the interior of the space as well, allowing for a continuous clerestory to extend above the other house, providing panoramic 360-degree views from the inside. Here, one is inside the landform looking through it to the surrounding geography.” In the same mountain range, Voorsanger Architects’ Wildcat Ridge Residence (2005) is similarly designed to integrate with its environment. The two-storey structure draws energy from 60 geothermal wells, meaning the building is completely off-grid. It also has a folded-plate roof that echoes the peaks of the mountains and, when blanketed with snow in winter, makes the residence all but disappear. Much like GLUCK+’s guesthouse, it pushes engineering to its limits to meld with the territory, taking inhabitants deep into the snow. If the impulse to find refuge in the earth comes from the earliest modes of survival – the cave as shelter – then the sophistication of the materials at play in these contemporary structures also allows architects to move in the opposite

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Alberto Burckhardt + Carolina Echeverri, Twin Houses, 2016, Nilo, Colombia. Picture credit: Alberto Burckhard + Carolina Echeverri.

“Mountains are border spaces. They hang above normality, teetering in the imagination on the threshold between mankind and the universe beyond, between life and death. It's a mythical dynamic.”

Previous Page: Alberto Burckhardt + Carolina Echeverri, Twin Houses, 2016, Nilo, Colombia. Picture credit: Alberto Burckhard + Carolina Echeverri. Left: Robert Konieczny KWK Promes, Konieczny’s Ark, 2015, Brenna, Poland. Picture credit: Aleksander Rutkowski/ Olo Studio

direction – building outwards instead of sinking into the land. “In previous centuries, buildings in the mountains were practical, simple structures with minimal glazing to prioritise insulation from the cold. Modern building techniques have enabled structures to be built high in the challenging terrain and be opened up to nature through the use of high-tech glazing and transitional interior–exterior spaces.” House in Yatsugatake (2012), realised by Japanese firm Kidosaki Architects Studio, extends outwards from a slope on a reinforced-concrete base supported by two angular struts, with floor-to-ceiling glazing offering soaring views of the Yatsugatake Mountains. The designers say it is like “living on a cloud” – a description that captures, perhaps accidentally, the otherworldliness of these locations. Mountains are border spaces. They hang above normality, teetering in the imagination on the threshold between mankind and the universe beyond, between life and death. It is a mythical dynamic that endures, even if it is somewhat muffled by reinforced concrete and insulated glass. This threshold is thinner still in Rabot Tourist Cabin (2014) designed by Oslo-based firm Jarmund / Vigsnæs AS Arkitekter. Situated on a small exposed plateau, 1,200 metres above sea level, the constraints of its lofty location are more keenly felt. Built for the DNT (Norwegian Trekking Association), set amongst the glaciers of northern Norway, it is produced for heavy wind and storms and is inaccessible by road – only to be reached on foot or on skis. Here, the balance between life and death is palpable. A secondary rescue hut is just 50 metres away in case the cabin is destroyed. Whilst a shelter in this location would traditionally have to be completely sealed off from the elements, specially

calibrated glass has allowed its designers to install fullheight windows. Elsewhere, solar panels provide electricity for the lights, and internal sliding doors allow rooms to be cut-off for more efficient and contained heating. Thilo Alex Brunner’s On Mountain Hut (2019) provides more ingenious solutions for surviving extreme conditions. The structure is perched 2,499 metres up the side of the Swiss mountain Piz Lunghin. It is only accessible by a twohour hike, and the precarious demands of its location mean the weight of the single cabin has to be kept to a minimum. It is also completely self-contained in terms of power and waste, with a reflective corrugated-metal exterior (covering a plywood interior), solar panels for energy and an in-built water harvesting system. It casts a strange figure on the mountainside: like a time machine transported into prehistory. Unlike other projects, which root themselves deep into the landscape, this shelter is purposefully ephemeral. “We built it with only two materials: wood and metal,” says Brunner. “The whole structure has been constructed from wood – the cladding from metal. It was assembled in a very simple way, [intended to be] very easily taken apart again and eventually recycled. We built the hut in such a way that it only requires the assembly of a small selection of pieces. The few heavy parts were transported by helicopter. The smaller parts and equipment were transported with countless walks on foot. Two people put the whole hut together.” Some projects go further, using the constraints of the environment to totally reinvent the shape of a home. Mountain Cabin (2012) by Austrian firm Marte.Marte Architects is a cuboid set above the Austrian ski resort of Laterns. The house is pale grey in colour and has sharp

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Alberto Burckhardt + Carolina Echeverri, Twin Houses, 2016, Nilo, Colombia. Picture credit: Alberto Burckhard + Carolina Echeverri.

right angles. It looks as if it could be the entrance to a secret military base. “It is reminiscent of a fortified building like a castle,” agrees Stefan Marte, from Marte.Marte Architects. He explains that the shape actually came from the need to balance the functions of the house with the steepness of the terrain. “We stacked the rooms on top of each other. An empty space (cut out of the volume) takes over the sun terrace and becomes a weather-protected entrance. In all conditions, even with two meters of deep, entrenched snow, the entrance still protrudes from the steep slope.” Marte says that, when building within hillsides, finding the right balance between an expressive architectural language and the landscape is a major challenge. “We are always filled with a certain humility and not everything that is technically possible is conceivable for us in such a place. Designing with extreme altitudes and dealing with the effects of natural forces, especially the unpredictable harshness of winter, is what makes building in the mountains so special.” These diverse buildings are all connected by a sense of reserve – despite their high budgets. It is, indeed, hard not to marvel at the engineering that allows for a building to be sunk into the ground, to jut out the side of a cliff, or to sandwich a sun terrace between stacked concrete cubes. However, these complex elements are balanced with an underlying sense of modesty. The materials and aesthetics, as well as the handling of light and space, stem from an understanding and respect for the harsh environments. The beauty of the mountain comes in part from its threat. This concept guides all of these projects. The G House (2018), designed by Alfredo Vanotti in Castione Andevenno, Italy, is another example. The raw-concrete structure is built on a

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hillside, its entire south-facing side opened up with floor-to- Right: Alberto Burckhardt + Carolina Echeverri, ceiling windows, taking in the vast Bergamasque Alps. On the Twin Houses, 2016, Nilo, Colombia. other side of the building is an old bell tower, its clock face Picture credit: Alberto Burckhard + Carolina Echeverri. hanging above the residence. Vanotti’s building teeters in this way between the manmade and the organic. The south gallery provides views of the changing seasons on the peaks; the bell tower to the north a reminder of how we measure and organise time. “I felt that the beauty of the landscape must be highlighted, and the architecture must integrate and not overpower or destroy it,” says Vanotti. “The house had to be part of the territory as much as possible.” So what can we learn from these projects away from the peaks? Separate to the clear imperatives that come with steep, snowy heights? Against the backdrop of a worsening environmental crisis, when there is a clear need to reconsider our relationship with the planet, how can we use mountain architecture as a test bed, applying its ideas at ground level? Responding to the landscape and existing materials instead of imposing a new structure – as well as an attention to varying weather demands – are valuable considerations for cities and towns as much as they are for remote destinations. Cut off from the grid, forced to come up with self-contained solutions for powering lights or keeping warm, the mountains compel innovation, but the results do not need to be Words the preserve of isolated retreats. Indeed, with the looming Thomas McMullan threats of extreme weather conditions and dwindling natural resources, adventurous architecture will be essential in the coming years as we face a whole different sort of precipice. Living in the Mountains The heartening news is that, on the evidence of these innova- is published by Phaidon tive design projects, humanity has a knack for finding a foothold in even the most challenging and remote conditions. phaidon.com

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Sense of Connection Julia Fullerton-Batten

“Covid-19 came and life changed, irrevocably. I decided to document this new kind of existence – in which time seems to stand still and everyone feels vulnerable or anxious.” Julia Fullerton-Batten’s (b. 1970) latest series, Looking Out From Within, was shot over the last few weeks of lockdown. The Bremen-born, London-based photographer advertised the idea for a participatory photo shoot – containing no physical contact – on social media and through local newspapers. After receiving an overwhelming response from the community, she began photographing individuals every couple of days, directing the compositions through phone calls and hand signals from behind glass. The works express widespread emotions of uncertainty, isolation and upheaval, whilst demonstrating glimmers of hope and moments of genuine human connection. Fullerton-Batten’s practice is characteristically cinematic, incorporating surreal settings and dramatic lighting. juliafullerton-batten.com.

Julia Fullerton-Batten, Hannah and Annabella, from the series Looking Out From Within (2020).

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Julia Fullerton-Batten, Bethan, from the series Looking Out From Within (2020).

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Julia Fullerton-Batten, Malaika, from the series Looking Out From Within (2020).

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Julia Fullerton-Batten, Jamal, from the series Looking Out From Within (2020).

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Julia Fullerton-Batten, Serena and Chloe, from the series Looking Out From Within (2020).

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Julia Fullerton-Batten, Penelope, from the series Looking Out From Within (2020).

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Modes of Iconography Absolutely Augmented Reality KUZMA VOSTRIKOV AND AJUAN SONG WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO EXPLORE THE INTERSECTION OF FINE ART, PHOTOGRAPHY AS WELL AS THE IDEA OF AUTHENTICITY.

Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song’s richly saturated, theatrical and symbolic images focus on costume, character and allegory. In a dream world of strange and alluring portraiture, the viewers are presented with a host of archetypal images, hybrid creatures, surreal motifs and canonical postures, as well as inversions of historic art references. Dual heritage also plays a part in the experimental images; Vostrikov was raised in Russia, whilst Song was born in China. These bold parallel worlds sit between eastern and western cultures as a marriage of colours, forms and iconographies. A: Your works have been defined as a “new genre” of narrative portraiture that pushes boundaries and transgresses a singular definition. Can you elaborate on your style and how you break away from convention? KV & AS: Portraiture is a genre unto itself. Western art history says it is impossible to invent a new genre, but it is possible to move deeper into a subgenre. In the past, narrative painting commented on mythology or global historical / religious events. Today, artists work as if for themselves rather than for a customer; the photographer is largely able to comment more specifically on issues that interest them. It has become impossible to represent the entirety of culture as we know it. We, for example, believe that staged photography should work to tell a story. However, if we’re going to discuss innovation, then it’s appropriate to talk about the context of the portrait. Essentially, for us, it’s a question of enriching photography-as-a-handicraft with existential content – the tail of the comet for personal and philosophical concerns.

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A: Portraiture has been altered irrevocably through selfie culture. Filters on Instagram allow users to augment and distort their faces, taking on completely new identities that are adaptable and ephemeral. With the release of Apple’s iOS14 system, “memojis” now act as avatars in our place; they are a way to be identified through emails and messages. How do you respond to the changing idea of the self and technological innovation? KV & AS: It’s almost the same as saying that, thanks to a new 200-megapixel Chinese web camera, Tarkovsky’s films no longer have any value. We’re not applying red-hot metal from open-hearth furnaces to the palms of our hands. Nobody is swimming across the Atlantic, flying to Mars in a hot-air balloon or chasing a Tesla on a bicycle. Civilisation has been jealous of culture for a long time now and it’s a sucker for splashy statements. Although we’ve invented helicopters, transistors and cophasal arrays, we still pull teeth with pliers and execute people in electric chairs. Augmented Reality arrived several decades ago, and was used in Indian films, to make just one reference. Walt Disney distorted mouse faces and ears. Look at how children draw portraits: naively, purely and grandly. No Rembrandt or Spongebob can make them any better or worse. Museums won’t roll over in their coffins when the latest gadget starts vibrating. A: Popular culture is deeply embedded within the public psyche, from art, psychology and literature to advertisements and 21st century spiritualism. Your latest title, Absolutely Augmented Reality, responds to contemporary

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xInviolability of Sorrow, Absolutely Augmented Reality by Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song

“Today's information fields offer us a million things to drown in. Visual culture came to the rescue of global finance. Instagram gave rise to new social patterns of behaviour.”

Previous Page: Unexpected Encounter, Absolutely Augmented Reality by Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song. Left: Gravity Sentiment, Absolutely Augmented Reality by Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song.

culture, exploring identities – how we project ourselves based on the images that surround and influence us. How do your works make sense of this? KV & AS: Today’s information fields offer us a million things to drown in. Spontaneously, visual culture came to the rescue of global finance as an institution. Instagram gives rise to new social patterns of behaviour: silicon lips; sterile interior design; the projection of success, prosperity and happiness. Financial insolvency, emptiness and boredom are perhaps still the actual foundation of the users behind the shiny profiles. We’re commenting on the construction of contemporary identity more than directly critiquing it. A: How do your works provide a creative assessment of individuals playing the role of consumer, as well as of themselves? How are the two ideas linked? KV & AS: In the social sciences, the Observer’s Paradox refers to a situation in which the phenomenon being observed is unwittingly influenced by the presence of the observer / investigator. In physics, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle says you can’t measure an object’s speed and its precise location at the same time. Someone who organises a critical artistic experiment is also a participant, and they ultimately influence the outcome. In other words, the critical and creative exist symbiotically. As an investigator ponders any category of modern culture – consumption, for example – they can then, in turn, be affected by the question being asked. They are inside the environment they're studying. A: The works are also often a reflection of your cultural identities, heavily referencing iconography from Ameri-

ca, Russia and China. How do these influences connect and contrast within your photographs? KV & AS: In the professional sense, the modern term “artist” can be translated as someone who breaks the canon. In the last hundred years, practitioners have been receiving dividends by breaking laws, as well, for consciously crossing over into criminal acts. Contemporary art and politics are gradually moving closer together. In music, seven notes let you compose complex works. Our background was originally international. We love moving freely and mixing the building blocks of meaning. Despite the globalisation of consumption and mass values (the news, TV, cars, fashion, social patterns, etc.) we don’t believe that cultures have been homogenised; they are still locked in secret confrontation with each other. International iconography, when you look at it closely, is nothing more than the tip of the iceberg, which keeps our curiosity held underwater. A: In many of the pictures, you arrange or rearrange bodies, symbols, costumes and imagery to create a parallel world. What is the significance of producing this kind of cultural, self-contained microcosm? KV & AS: In large part, it’s self-therapy. We worked on the projects of Absolutely Augmented Reality in an enormous hangar in dusty Bushwick in New York. It was our secret theatre. Around us, on the neighboring streets, machines milled flour and mixed cement, and frozen fish lay around in industrial refrigerators. We collapsed, blue from exhaustion, after our shifts at work. But in the morning, we felt like running right back to that dusty hangar once again, a place where so many talented people were gathered.

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Signals of the Sleeping Sea, Absolutely Augmented Reality by Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song.

A: Your works are filled with narrative, utilising mise-enscène. How do you plan each composition? KV & AS: At first, we planned to shoot 100 concepts for the book. Previously, we had improvised a lot and we were tired of spontaneity. We wanted to give it some thought: to make sketches and then shoot, like they do in the movies. Even though it was a little static – a little stop-and-start – there were so many levels of freedom and stages of productive preparation. First there were discussions, then textual descriptions and then drawings. These illustrative diagrams still only show less than half of the end result, because contrasts and visual conflicts come about from the characters but also with the entrance of costumes, environments and elements on-set. The team discussed the drawings to flesh out details. Often, problems came up along the way which made us change course, offering new versions of that particular world. For example, it took us several weeks before we could start shooting for one image titled Quantum Entanglement, because we needed to use the hatch on the hangar’s roof.

the water or through the clouds. Absolutely Augmented Reality is, in a way, a kind of lighthouse like that; it offers various fragments of the same message. Diverse pictures, landscapes and characters are elements of the same overall expression. The project, overall, is a performance. A: What motifs do you keep returning to? Are there any ideas that recur, either visually or structurally? KV & AS: We ponder existence. Like flying fish, we try to jump out over the water for a moment, only to bellyflop back down again. We were tired of updating our software, operating systems and product lines. Absolutely Augmented Reality is, in essence, anti-marketing. Increasingly, we return to what cannot be bought: no penthouse moves you any closer to the moonlight; no swimming pool can replace the salty ocean; no prostheses, implants, vitamins or exercises can halt or turn back the ticking of the clocks.

A: Do you believe authenticity exists? Is it an important element to consider when taking a photograph? KV & AS: Today, technology is helping us to create and print A: Do the images connect in some way? KV & AS: We are deeply inspired by classic cinematography. out not just copies of ourselves, but also our fears. However, The films of Luis Buñuel, Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini we believe an authentic statement is absolutely possible. brought our dreams to the screen. The resulting images are Photography, if you took it apart from the technology, united by a common rhythm. Fellini’s 1973 comedy drama down to its bare parts, is pretty boring. The most important Amarcord worked as a kind of template for exploring a sense adjustable variable is light. But we must consider why a of subjective truth, putting the personal and individual in robot or Artificial Intelligence system can’t compete with a direct opposition. We often think of the book in terms of this human being when it comes to writing music or novels or kind of visual dialogue. A message shining out from one taking pictures. When we make art, we are working to explore lighthouse has a single meaning, no matter how scattered human issues. Mysticism, magic, miracles, talent, good luck it might seem at first glance, or where it breaks up across – for us, those are the chief elements of photography today.

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Right: Detail, The Three Hundred Sixty-Fifth Dinner, Absolutely Augmented Reality by Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song.

Words Kate Simpson

Absolutely Augmented Reality is published by Scheidegger & Spiess Available from ACC Art Books accartbooks.com scheidegger-spiess.ch

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art

Structural Manipulation Alex Lysakowski

Amazon currently ships an average of 608 million packages each year, which equates to 1,600,000 parcels a day. It is thought that there are could be as many as two billion parking spaces in the USA alone. There are an estimated 10 million factories in the world. Alex Lysakowski (b. 1990) is a Canadian photographer exploring transitional spaces between reality and fiction. Through photo manipulation, he creates a world of the uncanny and absurd. The Antistructure series critiques an age of mass production. These digitally enhanced images exaggerate structural forms, casting them within empty, banal spaces. Corrugated iron extends upwards into the sky in maze-like forms. Lysakowski stretches the exteriors of trucks, storage units, hotels and shipping containers, amplifying the space that industry takes up within our lives. These hyperbolic images express the overwhelming presence of consumerism in the 21st century. alexlysakowskiphoto.com.