ANTOIN SEVRUGUIN – PAST AND PRESENT

Posted on 2021-08-23

The work of the Armenian-Iranian photographer Antoin Sevruguin (ca. 1851–1933) captures changing life in Iran, as documented in a wide range of subjects, at the end of the nineteenth century as the country stood at the cusp of modernity. In contrast to his Western contemporaries who in the Orientalist tradition focused primarily on documenting traditional Iran and the ruins of its glorious past, Sevruguin sought to capture this shift to the modern age. His innovative use of light, shadow, and perspective also set him apart and brought a sense of individuality and humanity to his work.

Opposite – A Kurdish woman, late 19th century

Exhibition runs through to October 30th, 2021

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
1155 East 58th Street
Chicago
IL 60637

oi100.uchicago.edu

  

NICK BRANDT – THE DAY MAY BREAK

Posted on 2021-08-23

The photographs from The Day May Break were taken at five sanctuaries & conservancies in Kenya and Zimbabwe. The animals featured in this series are almost all long-term rescues, victims of everything from the poaching of their parents, to habitat destruction and poisoning. The human subjects have all been badly affected by climate change, some displaced by cyclones that destroyed their homes, others displaced and impoverished by years-long severe droughts. Both subjects share the same space and are shot together in the same frame, at the same time. The images from The Day May Break, as with all of Brandt’s works, are an investigation into and a plea for the conservation of the natural world.

Opposite – Halima, Abdul, and Frida, Kenya, 2020

Exhibition runs through to October 30th, 2021

Fahey/Klein Gallery
148 North La Brea
Los Angeles
CA 90036

www.faheykleingallery.com

  

IN HER VIEW

Posted on 2021-08-23

This exhibition highlights 50 years of photographic expression by a diverse roster of artists working within, against, and beyond the history of the medium: Nona Faustine, Martine Gutierrez, Deana Lawson, An-My Lê, Rania Matar, Lorraine O’Grady, Adrian Piper, Selma Fernandez Richter, Martha Rosler, Nona Faustine, Mickalene Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, and Carmen Winant.

Spanning the past half-century in modern and contemporary photography, these photographs contend with many of the period’s defining issues, especially within the United States. They meditate on the intersection of personal and political histories, freshly interrogate matters of national identity and belonging, reflect on cycles of trauma and healing, and imagine worlds beyond the inequalities of our time.

Opposite – Deana Lawson, American, born 1979, Nation, 2018

Exhibition runs through to October 30th, 2021

Minneapolis Institute of Arts
2400 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis
MN 10001

new.artsmia.org

  

SUH SE OK – PEOPLE

Posted on 2021-08-23

Suh’s People series is an expression of the essence of the human race through subjects that he discovered through many years of meditation. With only a few brushstrokes of ink, Suh delivered messages of liberty and peacefulness to viewers.

Influenced by his father, who was a scholar and independence activist, Suh Se Ok became well-versed in calligraphy and poetry at an early age. In 1946, however, Suh abandoned his pursuit of a literary career in favor of one in fine art, joining the Arts Department of Seoul National University–the first art academy in Korea–as a member of its inaugural class. While still a student Suh won the Prime Minister’s Prize at the 1st National Art Exhibition in 1949. Suh belongs to the first generation of artists who lived through the tumultuous Japanese colonial period and ideological confrontation during the Korean War. Impacted by this, Suh responded at his own pace to the demands of the time, including the removal of vestiges of Japanese imperialism and trends in local art scenes that absorbed influences from the West in the late 1950s. He began experimenting with abstract ink painting by reinterpreting elements of Muninhwa, the literati painting proactively embraced as part of leisure activities and meditation among intellectuals. In 1960, he formed the Mukrimhoe, or Ink Forest Society, a group that signalled the start of experiments with abstract ink painting by blending the technique of literati painting and methodology of Informel, as well as contributed to the modernization of traditional oriental painting.

Opposite – Person, 2000s

Exhibition runs through to September 18th, 2021

Lehmann Maupin
74-18, Yulgok-ro 3-gil, Jongno-gu
Seoul
South Korea

www.lehmannmaupin.com

  

MIES IN MIND

Posted on 2021-08-23

This group exhibition pays tribute to architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Works on view include those by John Bock, Thomas Demand, Thea Djordjadze, Jenny Holzer, Reinhard Mucha, Otto Piene, Thomas Ruff, and Thomas Scheibitz.

Opposite – Portrait (Studie Mies van der Rohe), 2021

Exhibition runs through to September 4th, 2021

Sprüth Magers
Oranienburger Straße 18
D-10178 Berlin
Germany

spruethmagers.com