Aesthetica Magazine Issue 74

December / January 2017

If there’s one thing that 2016 taught us, it is that there is no steadfast rule to anything: logic can easily go out the window and the world is in very delicate place both socially and politically. The migrant crisis, Brexit and Trump signify a change in tides, but I am an optimist / realist. These things do not define who we are; we need to work hard to make life as great as it can be. On a macro level the future seems to present us with a number of challenges, but I believe that trials are sent to test our endurance and resilience. I keep telling everyone I know that it will be okay – and I mean that. This year has been wonderful for me, I had a little girl in May, and maybe it’s through these rose-tinted glasses that I can see a positive future ahead, once we get through current circumstances. The New Year brings change and uncertainty, but it’s in trying times that serendipity occurs and this is a thought worth holding on to.

Inside this issue find out about Chilean artist Iván Navarro’s latest show; which opens in New York. Known for his distinctive socio-political light installations that deconstruct power structures, it’s certainly a relevant time for a survey of his work. The mammoth Lisbon Architecture Triennale focuses on form and function with a look at how urbanisation has contributed to the society’s development through a series of exhibitions and symposiums. Avant-garde design duo Viktor&Rolf echo these thoughts, using fabric as a means of exploration of the crossover between fashion and art.

In photography, seven diverse practitioners offer works that explore urban landscapes, fine art and portraiture. Lauren Marsolier, Romina Ressia, Patrick Joust, Giorgio Stefanoni and Cristina Coral all negotiate the power of the image and its cultural implications. And indeed Gregory Crewdson’s show, opening in 2017 at Photographers’ Gallery, London, is one of our highlights of the year. Cover photographers Andrey-Lili play with colour and design forging that link between fine art and fashion. Finally, the Last Words go to Julio Le Parc, as he discusses the intersection between light, space and art.

Figurative Illumination

Iván Navarro opens a new exhibition in New York in which layers of social and political depth are identified through sculpted silence.

Cultural Observation

Romina Ressia’s work is an analysis of contemporary society. Classical influences can be seen across her oeuvre as a method of decoding modernity.

Auroral Metropolis

Finding intrigue within the strange intersections of the metropolis, Joust uses the lens as a witness to the shifting sense of culture from day to night.

Interior Aspirations

Cristina Coral plays with uncanny compositions, featuring domesticated figures that become lost in neutralised corridors and unnerving bedrooms.

Adaptive Environments

Giorgio Stefanoni’s bold and colourful series Unknown Geometries provides intriguing angles on metropolitan architecture, focusing on urban details.

Changing Philosophies

Thames & Hudson’s encyclopaedic volume surveys the innovations of inspired practitioners from the 19th century up until the present day.

Vanitas Remodelled

Andrey-Lili’s lavish shoots are a consideration of environment and theme: rich colours and textures provide spatial variance against the domestic vanitas.

Visceral Construction

Portugal plays host to a gathering where architects and designers reflect on the spaces and systems in which we spend our daily existence.

Formal Innovation

A new celebration of circus arts opens in Sydney, showcasing the very best in the medium and an evolution from traditional style into modernity. Circus…

Sculpted Expressions

The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, explores Viktor&Rolf’s notion of wearable art through a selection of their most iconic works.

Estranged Landscapes

Lauren Marsolier’s style that alleviates the world of specific details. Perceptual compositions alienate viewers through bright and equivocal landscapes.