For the 2013 edition of Liverpool’s International Photography Festival, LOOK/13 has collated the outstanding works of photographers such as, August Sander, Rankin, Weegee, Martin Parr, Tom Wood, Charles Fréger, Eva Stenram, Kurt Tong and many others. As one of the UK’s leading photography events, the festival unites established photographers with international emerging talent. LOOK/13 will invite its dynamic line-up of artists to explore the idea of subjectivity and selfhood, summing up its central theme in the question, “who do you think you are?” Opening in Liverpool on 16 May for a packed weekend of festivities, the highlights include Redeye’s sixth National Photography Symposium (16-17 May) and PULSE (18 May), an afternoon of presentations by some of the UK’s most influential photographers.
Theaster Gates: 13th Ballad at MCA Chicago
13th Ballad, an installation by Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates, is an extension of the artist’s 12 Ballads for Huguenot House, which was co-produced by the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago for dOCUMENTA (13). For 13th Ballad, Gates creates a new large-scale installation in the MCA’s Kovler Atrium that comprises objects and materials from the Huguenot House, along with a monumental double cross sculpture and carved wooden pews which create an ecclesiastical ambience to suggest that art museums, like churches, are sites of pilgrimage and thoughtful contemplation. 13th Ballad is accompanied at the MCA by a series of collaborative performances and is on view from 18 May to 6 October.
Emotionally tense, Hostage is a gritty tale of a woman taken hostage by a man who does not speak English, and how they manage to connect beyond the limitations of language. The short directorial debut of emerging Canadian filmmaker Joanna Jang screened at over 10 festivals prior to its appearance in the Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) November 2012. Dark and dramatic, Hostage was a popular feature in the ASFF 2012 Thriller line up. There is still chance to submit a short film for ASFF 2013, which runs 7-10 November across the city of York. The final deadline for submissions is 31 May.Hostage, Short Film from ASFF
Linder Sterling: The Ultimate Form, Wakefield
This weekend Linder Sterling presented her UK premiere of The Ultimate Form, a physical collage that combined dance, costume, music and her provocative prints. Set in the gardens of The Hepworth Gallery, seven dancers from the Northern Ballet wound their way across the stage, demonstrating strength and poise in time to Stuart McCallum’s impressive score. Referred to as a “living collage”, Sterling’s works literally moved as they adorned Richard Nicoll’s carefully crafted costumes. Already presenting The Ultimate Form at her retrospective in Paris at the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris earlier this year, the performance will next appear at the Tate St Ives early in 2014.
Interview with Kate Lindsey of Ariadne auf Naxos
The 2013 edition of Britain’s best-loved opera festival, Glyndebourne, opens in style on 18 May with a new production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. Directed by Katharina Thoma, and under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski in his final season as Glyndebourne’s Music Director, the production also sees many operatic talents making their Glyndebourne debuts. Mezzo soprano Kate Lindsey, who takes on the role of the Composer, is one such artist, and Aesthetica speaks to her about this exciting new experience and what audiences can expect.
Christopher Williams: For Example: Dix-Huit Leçons Sur La Société Industrielle (Revision 18)
Christopher Williams opens For Example: Dix-Huit Leçons Sur La Société Industrielle (Revision 18) at David Zwirner, London, this Friday. Running 17 May until 15 June, the exhibition is a critical investigation into the medium of photography and the nature of industrial culture. Williams studied at the California Institute of the Arts under the first wave of West Coast conceptual artists, including John Baldessari and Douglas Huebler, only to become one of his generation’s leading conceptualists.
The award-winning short film Cockatoo tells the story of a man attempting to heal his broken heart by hiring a young girl to play the role of his ex-girlfriend. An 11 minute comedy, Cockatoo was produced by Ninja Milk and directed by Matthew Jenkin. Shortlisted in the final selection of the Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2012 (ASFF), Cockatoo has received widespread success not only at ASFF but at other events such as Flickerfest 2012 and won Best Foreign Director at Lebanon International Film Festival. Cockatoo is a leading example of how to champion comedy in short film. There is still chance to submit a short film for ASFF 2013, which runs 7-10 November across the city of York. The final deadline for submissions is 31 May.Cockatoo, Short Film from ASFF
A master at his craft, Geoff Souster’s classic tailoring in Chris Whitehead’s short film, shows that success is not always born out of academia. A three minute documentary, Three Blind Mice reflects on how Souster launched his career as a bespoke tailor and perfected his craft over 40 years. Produced by Film Infinity Video Production, the film was shortlisted for the Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) 2012 as part of the documentary category, and went on to gain further success in the Reed Film Festival and Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, which screened the film at The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London last year. There is still chance to submit a short film for ASFF 2013, which runs 7-10 November across the city of York. The final deadline for submissions is 31 May.Three Blind Mice, Short Film from ASFF
Daniel Gordon: The Green Line, Los Angeles
The Green Line is Daniel Gordon’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, and from 18 May until 29 June his colourful and striking works will adorn the walls of M+B. The exhibition title is a nod to Matisse’s well-known 1905 portrait of the artist’s wife and is visually referenced in several of Gordon’s works including large scale still lifes and portraits, along with a selection of smaller works operating as isolated studies. Available at the gallery will also be Gordon’s fourth monograph titled Still Lifes, Portraits & Parts, published by Mörel in conjunction with the exhibition.
Daddy, Short Film from ASFF
Featured at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) 2012, short film, Daddy, is a visceral expression of director Sydney Southam’s knowledge of her father’s suicide. The artist film depicts Southam’s privileged, yet tragic background, blessed with success and wealth, but unfortunately affected by an inordinate amount of premature death, many cases of substance addictions, and bitter relationships and abusive behaviour. Consisting of idyllic and picturesque archival film and the artist’s own footage, the short explores the dichotomy between what is preserved in the family memory and what is remembered about the actual events. There is still chance to submit a short film for ASFF 2013, which runs 7 – 10 November across the city of York. The final deadline for submissions is 31 May.
Interview with Emilie Pugh
Natural Perception was an art show recently curated by Aretha Campbell at 68 Dean Street, a Georgian House in Soho. The apt and stunning venue showcased the work of eight artists including Henry Hudson, Mat Chivers, Emilie Pugh, Nancy Fouts, Dr. Victor Schroeder, Guy Archard, Phoebe Dickinson, Adeline de Monseignat, Sam Pelly, Yun-Kyung Jeongs and Camilla Emson amidst the wooden beams and cobwebs. The show was a take on Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection. Emilie Pugh, whose work consists of a gentle union between the permanence of ink and the volatility of burning incense-marks into paper, was one of the artists. Emilie has recently secured an artist residency in Berlin to begin this year, and Aesthetica speaks to Emilie about her work.
Leslie Thornton: Luna, New York
For the second time, New York artist Leslie Thornton returns to the Winkleman Gallery, New York, to exhibit an inspiring new work. Luna is a detailed examination of nature and technology, utilisng the interplay of place, memory, and abstraction to produce a piece glittering with colour and character. Running, 11 May to 22 June, Thornton’s practice crosses the borders of cinema, video, digital media and installation.