Evocative Territories

Evocative Territories

In 1955, an important exhibition at Museum of Modern Art, New York, celebrated the universal aspects of human experience. The Family of Man comprised images by international photographers, documenting a sense of unity in the decade following WWII. In a similar way, a new collaborative project between FUJIFILM and Magnum Photos investigates the global sentiment of HOME.

The show – which is travelling to ten cities – brings together 16 diverse visual stories from notable contributors, including Elliott Erwitt (b. 1928), Alec Soth (b. 1969) and Alex Webb (b. 1952). In order to make sense of a very personal idea of place, it draws a complex portrait, combining an array of styles to form a meaningful whole. Recording such an individual space is challenging prospect, offering a multiplicity of potential avenues. For some, the notion of home means simply their current habitat; for others, it involves a nostalgic journey back to childhood.

Practitioners such as Olivia Arthur (b. 1980) and Jonas Bendiksen (b. 1977) – whose series explore life before and after a baby’s birth – use the project as an opportunity to capture family moments. Comparably, Mark Power’s (b. 1959) work tracks a new, defining chapter, as his daughter leaves to pursue higher education. These intimate chronicles provide a glimpse into the complex emotional landscape of parenthood.

The comprehensive collection – which comprises artists of differing generations – invites the viewer to travel around the world, visiting locations such as suburban America, London and Buenos Aires. The featured image, captured by Australian practitioner Trent Parke (b. 1971), documents twilight in Adelaide, the photographer’s native region. Notably, Thomas Dworzak (b. 1972), who grew up in the Bavarian town of Cham, yet has lived in Tbilisi and Tehran, engages with each place respectively. Another, more detached approach is exemplified by Hiroji Kubota (b. 1939), who captures the Japan’s topography from above. Through these varied perspectives, the show navigates environments which are at once intimate and universal.

HOME opens at Milk Gallery, New York, on 2 March, and runs at The Vinyl Factory, London, from 18 May. Find out more here.

Credits:
1. Australia. Port Adelaide. 2017. © Trent Parke / Magnum Photos