With the weekend in sight, time and space for contemplation is on the horizon. The 5 to See for 14-16 July reminds us of the importance of appreciating artistic endeavours in society. By tracing the common links between humanity and history, these forthcoming artists highlight the both abstract and realistic dimensions of daily life. Top picks for this weekend include:
1. Luciano Rigolini, Tribute to Giorgio de Chirico, Fondation Cartier Pour l’art Contemporain, Paris.
The exhibition Autophoto (2017) depicts how the invention of cars provided photographers with new ways of exploring the world. Since its invention, the automobile has reshaped our landscape and extended our geographic horizons, altering our conception of space and time. The series brings together 500 works made by 100 historic and contemporary international artists, to include Jacques-Henri Lartigue (b. 1894 – 1986), Lee Friedlander (b. 1934) and Rosângela Renno (b. 1962). By capturing the geometric design of roadways and the reflections in rear-view mirrors, these images invite a revaluation of automobiles in society. The event is open until 24 September.
2. Aisling McCoy- Engage, Circulations, Gallery of Photography, Dublin.
Running until 13 August, ENGAGE is a new collaboration between Belfast Exposed Futures programme and Gallery of Photography. It highlights both organisations’ sustained support for photographic artists living and working across Ireland. The projects of seven selected artists reflects the vitality of the Irish contemporary photography scene. Each distinctive body of work is the result of a long term, sustained process of engagement between the artists and their chosen themes. Aisling McCoy’s THF (2016) is a timely study of the Nazi-designed Tempelhof airport in Berlin, now used among other things as a refugee centre. The work is a meditation on this space, both physical and psychological – somewhere between arrival and departure.
3. Steven McQueen, Ashes, The Institute of Contemporary Arts, Boston.
The ICA presents the US debut of Ashes (2002-2015), a video installation by the artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen (b. 1969). A standout from the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015, Ashes comprises of footage on two sides of a freestanding screen. One side, originally shot on grainy Super 8 film, depicts a young, carefree fisherman balancing on a pitching boat against a horizon of blue sky and water. The other side, chronicles Ashes’ unexpected fate. Never seen together, the videos conjure an easy vitality and a vivid description of place amongst the darker forces of society and fate. Open until 25 February.
4. Pipilotti Rist, Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Through to 17 September, the MFAH continues its series of grand-scale, immersive exhibitions with one of Pipilotti Rist’s (b. 1962) newest works, consisting of thousands of hanging LED lights. Under the direction of the artist, these light and video-based installations transform Cullinan Hall into a cosmic journey through time and space. Strands of glowing lights in textured crystalline resin orbs are draped around the room, evoking an other-worldly atmosphere. The colours shift, undulating in time to gentle instrumental music.
5. Wu Tsang, Devotional Document (Part I), Nottingham Contemporary.
Nottingham Contemporary showcases a major solo exhibition by Wu Tsang (b. 1984). Her installations, performances, sculptures and videos move fluidly between documentary and fiction. Titled Devotional Document (Part I) (2017), this exhibition is the artist’s first solo show in the UK, and brings together two film installations and a video: Duilian (2016), Damelo Todo/Odot Olemad (2010-15), and Shape of a Right Statement (2008). Together these evoke performative states of impossibility, whether it be through imagined histories, unrecognised languages, or narratives of dispossession. The exhibition is open until 28 August.
Credit:
1. Pipilotti Rist, Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish, 2017. Courtesy of the artist.
