Aesthetica Magazine Issue 110
December / January 2023
Aesthetica
International

Art is about storytelling, and we all tell stories. There are the stories we tell about ourselves and the ones we tell about each other. There are the moments that sit between memory, fact and fiction. It’s how we present reality and remember the past. Sometimes, you tell yourself the same story so many times it becomes true. How the present is retold is subjective, and no person experiences it in the same way.

There are instances of joy and euphoria coupled with pain and loss. This is all part of the human experience. If there is one thing that binds us together, it’s that no matter who or where you are, we all are here right now on planet Earth. This is our time in history. It’s hard to picture the future – say 500 years from now – or to imagine how our existence could impact it. What will it be like? Dare to dream, I suppose.

This issue is dedicated to weaving narratives. Liam Wong highlights the beauty of the night and the intersection between reality, technology and science fiction. His latest book, After Dark, investigates global cities at night. Wong says: “I want to take real moments and transform them into something surreal to make the viewer question the reality depicted in each photograph.” We speak to Tyler Mitchell about the fluidity of fine art and fashion photography, as he seamlessly traverses both worlds, alongside the impact of being the first Black photographer to shoot a cover for Vogue. Mária Švarbová’s swimming pools and brightly colored caps follow a tradition from Seurat and Hockney, but by using architecture and light, she tells stories and memories of spaces where we can all find glimpses of serendipity.

In photography, we bring you works from Alexis Pichot, Henri Prestes, Miguel Vallinas Prieto, Priscilla Ong and Mónica Alcázar-Duarte. Each photographer takes an instant in time and turns it into a moment of introspection. Our cover artists Elsa & Johanna experiment with portraiture by reconstructing family memories. Finally, Last Words go to Doug Aitken, where he discusses his new book, Works 1992–2022.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS
  • METAmorphosis / OGR Award
    May 17, 2023
    Artissima / OGR
    Turin, Italy

    Launched during the 2022 edition of Artissima, the METAmorphosis project is the second episode of Beyond Production – a conceptual platform born from the collaboration between Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT and Artissima, in dialogue with the OGR Award, with the aim of stimulating and promoting reflections on the most innovative trends in contemporary art. (more…)

  • Chris Hoare: Seven Hills
    Publication
    RRB Photobooks
    International

    RRB Photobooks is delighted to present Seven Hills, our second publication from Bristol based Photographer, Chris Hoare. Set to release in September 2023, this first edition will feature a special edition of 50 copies, each including a signed and limited print. In Seven Hills, Hoare shows us his unique perspective of Bristol, his hometown. Presenting both the good and the bad, Hoare’s poetic imagery speaks to some of the more serious issues facing the city today (more…)

  • Impossible Music
    Sep 30 – Dec 10, 2023
    Miller Institute for Contemporary Art
    Pittsburgh, USA

    Opening September 30 at the Miller Institute of Contemporary Art, Impossible Music brings together sounds, scores, sculptures, video, and live performances to extend discourses on conceptual and experimental music and explore its intersections across different art forms. Marking the first joint curatorial collaboration of curator Candice Hopkins, artist, composer Raven Chacon, with curator, researcher, Stavia Grimani, the interdisciplinary group exhibition features work by boundary-defying composers, artists, (more…)