5 to See: This Weekend

This week’s exhibitions engage with notions of the collective conciousness. Inspiring ideas about the creation of a greater whole, these shows encourage the viewer to pause and reflect on reality, looking forward to the future.

State of Nature, Robert Morat Galerie, Berlin.

Highlighting the impact of human intervention on the landscape, emerging German photographer Claudius Schulze’s (b. 1984) sublime images juxtapose picturesque scenes of nature with monumental concrete break waters and dams. Foregrounding man’s unrelenting need to conquer and control organic life, this environmentally aware series is subtle yet powerful. Until 11 November. www.robertmorat.de.

The Autumn Salon 2017, Fotografiska, Stockholm.

A similar sense of global consciousness is foregrounded at this year’s Autumn Salon. Celebrating Swedish photography, the event provides a platform for both established and emerging practitioners, reflecting upon contemporary issues and connecting to the wider world, the selection raises a number of socio-political questions. Until 3 December. www.fotografiska.eu.

Bilderbuch: The Picturebook of Elizaveta Porodina, Ostlicht, Vienna.

Bridging the gap between fashion, documentary and portraiture, Porodina’s sleek compositions encourage the viewer to think beyond the limitations of the frame. Hinting at further narratives, her cinematic use of light and colour creates a palpable atmosphere that draws the spectator into scenes. Until 16 December. www.ostlicht.at. 

Simon Phipps: Finding Brutalism, Museum im Bellpark, Switzerland.

Often abstracted, the London-based photographer’s monochrome works document post-war Brutalist architecture in England. Constructed as primarily as functional civic structures, these buildings possess the ethos of a damaged nation in a state of flux and renewal. Until 5 November. www.bellpark.ch. 

Zanele Muholi, Yancey Richardson, New York.

Bringing together two series of work, Yancey Richardson Gallery displays two key parts of Muholi’s (b.1972) oeuvre. Brave Beauties engages with and celebrates LGBTQI life in South Africa, whilst Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail, the Dark Lioness) examines ideas of self-representation through the exploration of different characters and archetypes.  Bold and confrontational, these images powerfully assert shared identities. Until 9 December. www.yanceyrichardson.com. 

Credits:
1. Claudius Schulze, Lac de Migouélou, France, 2014 © the artist. 
2. Tobias Hägg, Norden Från Ovan. © the artist. 
3. Elizaveta Porodina, Air Becomes Wind I, 2017. © the artist. 
4. Trinity Centre Gateshead, Rodney Gordon for Owen Luder Partnership. Photo © Simon Phipps.
5. Zanele Muholi, Gcina I, Cassilhaus, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 2016. Gelatin silver print. © the artist.