On Landscape

 
Art & Culture

In March, artists Minna Kantonen, Dafna Talmor and Emma Wieslander will be presenting their own interpretations of pictorial conventions of landscape at the Guest Projects gallery. The 3 artists will each be using their own unique style to explore the possibilities that lie within landscape photography. The exhibition, titled On Landscape #1, will feature the artists' work alongside that of guest artist Minna Pllnen and some carefully selected publications from their current open call for submissions.

 

There are stark contrasts between the ways in which the artists approach their subject matter, each having clearly a different artistic interpretation of the term landscape. Minna Kantonen's work 'Urban Vistas' looks at the industrial landscapes, highlighting the pockets of natural growth that lie within large cities. By picking up on these brief moments of natural growth, Kantonen investigates the role of nature within our culture and society. Dafna Talmor's project 'Constructed Landscapes' exhibits collaged and montaged landscape scenarios in an attempt to blur space, memory, and time. These works (such as the photo on the right) are spliced together to give a modernistic take on landscape, removing any attachment the viewer may have to a set location and creating a more universal image.

 

There are also 2 collections on show from Emma Wieslander, entitled 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Burnt', which both have a unique brilliance to them. The first plays on preconceptions by creating a sense of vastness despite being created in a confined studio. By having the real and constructed collide, Wieslander is able to present a series of works to exploit her audience's spatial awareness. 'Burnt', on the other hand, consists of a series of photographs that incorporate a burnt hole at the place where the sun originally featured. With the use of a magnifying glass – and conveniently enough the real sun – Wieslander emphasizes the materiality and flatness of photography whilst referencing a sense of carelessness towards the world and environment.

 

Invited artist Minna Pllnen has also produced a site-specific installation for this event, exploring the relationship between photography and sculptural intervention. Linked to a series of viewing platforms built in other major cities, Pllnen gives the viewer the chance to examine the way in which they look at things which may challenge the pre-conceptions of many.

 

Hopefully this proves to be just the first of many in a sequence of 'On Landscape' events, there is certainly the potential for more exhibitions to take place. With the added element of receiving relevant submissions with open arms, these artists have created an idea which will hopefully provoke a wide array of debates regarding landscapes.

 

If you would like to submit your own publication for consideration, the deadline for submissions is 3rd February and the guidelines for submission and application form can be found here.

 

You can follow the 'On Landscape' campaign via Facebook and Twitter as well as viewing the official event listing.

 

The artists are currently running a Crowdfunder project to try and raise money for a professionally coded website, something which has become an important factor in all forms of artistic campaigns in recent years. You can give your financial support to the campaign in return for some limited edition On Landscape artifacts here.

 

On Landscape #1 takes place from 7th-30th March.

 

Ciaran Steward