Aesthetica Issue 92: Listen and Respond
We are evolving emotionally. This can’t be understated in terms of how this will affect humanity – and future generations. Politically, the world has been in turmoil since 2016: the year of the Referendum and Trump making his way into the White House. We’ve seen and heard things that shouldn’t be happening. This is the 21st century – a time of progress. We shouldn’t be seeing women’s rights surrounding their own bodies being revoked, and the climate crisis being denied. It’s supposed to be better now, right? This issue of Aesthetica invites readers to engage with the key themes of our times.
Published December / January 2019. To pick up a copy, click here.
News:
This issue we provide coverage of Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival, the Turner Prize and the Max Mara Art Prize, as well as Somerset House's new show, 24/7.
Features:
- Art for Connectivity: Doug Aitken’s latest installations explore the space between physical and virtual worlds, commenting on the ways that communication has changed. Sculptures fly over Massachusetts; mirrored houses are nestled into the Swiss landscape; the white cube gallery space is transformed through digital installation.
- Powerful Storytelling: Eva Vonk and Pieter Henket consider the role that the Congo Basin plays within the wider geological balance, drawing attention to the importance of oral culture, history and tradition with a groundbreaking photography series.
- Scientific Perspective: Eddo Hartmann recognises the work of environmental scientists in the Netherlands, looking at the impact of human behaviour from the ground up.
- More to the Picture: Dawoud Bey asks wider questions about the role of community in portrait photography. He notes: “is it possible to transcend the boundaries of difference and make a meaningful representation of a subject? Is it possible to make it work with some common denominator that transcends lines of difference?”
- Fluidity and Invention: A new publication from Thames & Hudson looks at the poetry of geometry, considering how concrete can create boundary-pushing forms using new digital mapping techniques.
Photography:
In photography, there are seven outstanding practitioners who present bold and exciting series. They question the idea of home and identity, highlight the beauty of everyday objects and play with the notion of anonymity. Those included are:
- So AsA
- Julia Morozova
- Thomas Jordan
- Gohar Dashti
- Guillaume Simoneau
- Ian Howorth
- Olivia Jeczmyk