Latest news with #Landscapes
Hypebeast
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Cindy Sherman Reconsiders Face Value at Hauser & Wirth Menorca
On the sun-drenched island of Menorca,Hauser & WirthmountsCindy Sherman. The Women, the artist's long-awaited solo return to Spain. Now on view through October 26, the exhibition traces her four-decade investigation into the performance of femininity, fame and the fractured mirror of identity, serving up a feast of eclectic characters ofSherman's own making. Like Clare Booth Luce's 1936 Broadway play, which the exhibition was named after, Sherman'sThe Womenpresents a barbed portrait of women's relationships with one another, dissecting the ways her characters see and are seen by the world around them. Her work probes the roles women are asked to play, the images they inhabit and the many gaze(s) that shape their self-perception, disrupting the, often gendered, subject-object binaries that undergird the medium's traditions in a delightfully unapologetic approach to self-portraiture. Featuring early student projects likeBus RidersandMurder Mystery(1976), her breakoutUntitled Film Stills(1977–1980) and later series such asOminous Landscapes(2010), the exhibition charts Sherman's clairvoyant understanding of visual identity across eras. Earlier works parody mid-century cinema and media tropes, while later images toy with ideas of luxury, aging and digital artifice, though what's threaded throughout is a persistent critique of performative identity — its illusions, demands and ever-evolving glamour. In a time when identity is crafted and consumed through digital feeds and stories, Sherman's work remains uncannily prescient. Amid this culture of continuous curation, her portraits emerge as clairvoyant warnings, urging us to reflect on what remains beneath the roles we perform. Hauser & Wirth MenorcaDiseminado Illa del Rei, S/N, 07700,Balearic Islands, Spain
Otago Daily Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Body of work
Vincent Ward is an award-winning, internationally recognised New Zealand film-maker, but he is also a practising artist who is showing his "Palimpsest/Landscapes" work in the South Island for the first time. He talks to Rebecca Fox about links between the human body and the land. As an 8-year-old, Vincent Ward began to draw his father's hands. A World War 2 veteran, Ward senior had three-quarters of his body burnt during his service including his hands, which were badly puckered. He was continually receiving skin grafts as Ward grew up. Living on an inhospitable hill country farm in the Wairarapa that used to be a World War 1 artillery range, the Ward family persevered. "He was trying to restore the land at the same time he was trying to restore himself," Ward said. To make ends meet, Ward senior was a fencing contractor, completing more than 32km of fencing. "The fences were so straight and when you see them on the air, they're just like straight lines that go over the cliff. I mean, just unbelievable." This was the starting point for Ward's work "Palimpsest/Landscapes". "In my mind, the terrain became these mapping-like forms of his attempts to keep out entropy and to restore himself. That is how I came to it." Originally intended as a video installation, Ward did five film shoots as well as still shots to create the works. He brought together a group of dancers he had worked with before and used their skin as canvases. Using skin-friendly inks, dyes, chalks and powders, he created his visions with the assistance of the dancers and a team of helpers. "I've created a pallet of materials that I could work with safely to create that atmosphere, because each of the works is sort of like a different sort of form, it's like a reef or it's a planet or it's a, you know, a desert or a forest floor ... and so I gradually evolved a painting technique which has been photographed to evoke those femoral landscapes." Each shot required two weeks to prepare the materials. On shoot day, he would have 1.5hours when the natural light was right in his warehouse studio to do the photography. It then took about a week to clean up afterwards. "I don't see myself as a photographer. It's what's in front of it that I try and create." Ward's studio is a bunch of small workshops where he can make lots of different things depending on his latest project. "I try to create a space that's agile, that can pivot so I can move from one medium, whether it's welding steel rods or, you know, doing photo shoots or doing paintings." Often living there during these periods of work, Ward revels in having all of his gear in close proximity, allowing him to rig up whatever he needs. He also works with the dancers, taking on board their suggestions and their body types. "For example, Georgie, one of the dancers, has this extraordinary back when she hunches her back and her shoulders come up and they look like cliff faces because she's got such unusual versatility in her back, right, so you look for whatever is special about that person." Ward then spends up to a year working on the images to find the right one and then print it to his specifications. "Those images started in I think 2016 and then they're still being finished now. They sort of become obsessive and drive my printers crazy because I keep coming back and then I keep tearing up prints and doing all that sort of bad artist c... — I'm running it and I'm responsible for it financially so, you know, I just keep going until I get what I want, basically." A special aspect to the work is calligraphy partly done by Wang Dongling, one of China's greatest living calligraphers, known for large scale abstract works he calls calligraphic paintings. Ward (69), who lives in Auckland, was working in China at the China Academy of Art, where he met Wang who was keen to collaborate. When Wang came to New Zealand, he worked with Ward and a team of Chinese calligraphers to help bring the idea to life. "He's such a gentle wise man with a passion for his work. That idea of words and stories that have fragmented and disappeared and reshaped and reformed into new narratives about that same place where the land itself is reformed." Ward's work in film-making transfers through to his art. "I do try to create stillness within movement and movement within stillness, and that has very much to do with coming out of a cinematic concern for such a long time and I don't see others doing it because they don't come from that, they haven't gone through an art school and then become a film-maker and then become an artist again." He believes the work he has done in special effects in films with specialists in the field means he sees opportunities where others might not. "You're going through every part of it, every tiny little detail and I'd go there week after week with these people and try to analyse and break down and rethink and reconstruct an image to make it into the painting image in my head." The "visual ambiguities" in this exhibition mean that it takes a while for people to realise the images are of human bodies. "That it's actually an image taken from the lower rib cage and looking down towards the hip, and that the body is actually completely transformed into a wreath through it's materiality and you can't see it unless you know to look for it." From Ward's childhood drawing his father's hands, art continued to play a strong part in his school life. A series of head injuries boxing, wrestling and playing rugby put paid to any idea of a sporting career. "I was banned from all that after my sixth head injury. And so I became a fine artist because of it. I went to the art room and would draw and paint." Then in another twist of fate, at art school at Canterbury University he found he enjoyed animation and film work. "The work I was doing was a bit more dramatic than what was currently the norm at the art school. And so I was doing drama as well and acting and so I ended up, you know, as an experiment doing film and then I just happened to do well at it." His films Vigil (1984), The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988) and Map of the Human Heart (1993) were the first films by a New Zealander to be officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Between them, they garnered close to 30 national and international awards. What Dreams May Come (1998) won an Oscar and was nominated for two Academy Awards. Rain of the Children (2008) was picked by the audience to win the Grand Prix at Poland's largest film festival. The film was also nominated for best director in New Zealand and Australia. The River Queen (2005) won the Golden Goblet in Shanghai. Ward was an executive producer of The Last Samurai (2003) and also worked on the early development of Aliens 3 (1992). Throughout this time, he never stopped drawing. "I always saw myself as a painter, oddly enough, and so I never stopped doing drawings — conceptual drawings like for Aliens 3 or doing artwork for what films may come. That sort of goes through everything I've done, it's part of the same practice, just different manifestations, a different way of presenting the images that are in my mind." In 2008, he went back to being a fulltime artist, exhibiting his work in major exhibitions at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Gus Fisher Gallery and the Arts House Trust. In 2012, a high-quality large format art book titled Inhale/Exhale was published featuring images of Ward's interdisciplinary artworks. "I'm lucky to be able to do that and also to have a moderately successful career as a film-maker has allowed me to do some of that; you know, to go back to what I really am at heart and make those things." Initially, he "robbed" his films of raw images, taking them back to what originally inspired him, finding the one frame out of millions and exploring that further for a body of work. "Gradually, the work became more and more abstract. Always trying to find fresh ways to explore the human figure and to explore the consciousness, the transformational moment and the psyche." Over the years, Ward, who was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts by the University of Canterbury in 2017, has also spent time in China. Ward was the first New Zealander to participate in the Shanghai Biennale (2012) and exhibited in the solo pavilion. He has also sat on the jury of the biennale, has done residencies at the Shanghai University School of Fine Arts and has been conferred a guest Professorship at the China Academy of Art, School of Fine Arts, in Hangzhou. TO SEE: Palimpsest/Landscapes: Milford Galleries Queenstown, until July 20.
Toronto Sun
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Brit dressed as giant bird walks 85 km in support of endangered curlew
A bird enthusiast recently walked 85 km dressed in a homemade bird costume to raise awareness for one of Great Britain's most iconic and threatened birds -- the Eurasian curlew. Photo by SCREEN GRAB / NIDDERDALE NATIONAL LANDSCAPE This one is for the birds. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A bird enthusiast recently walked 85 km dressed in a homemade bird costume to raise awareness for one of Great Britain's most iconic and threatened birds. Matt Trevelyan, 46, made the trek dressed as his favourite winged species – the Eurasian curlew – which is endangered in the United Kingdom. The elaborate costume was three yards long and was made out of split bamboo, muslin and polystyrene. Trevelyan, a Farming in Protected Landscapes officer, walked with friends and family around the Nidderdale Way route in the Yorkshire Dales in support of conservation projects. 'The curlew is my favourite bird and I've been saddened as their numbers have reduced massively around the U.K., he said, per the New York Post . 'They have such a beautiful song — it pulls at your heart strings — it was great to hear it whilst walking the awareness-raising adventure.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More The bird lover finished the walk over the Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend ahead of World Curlew Day on April 21. The day was created in 2017 by Mary Colwell to raise awareness of the declining numbers of curlews and the issues they face because of habitat loss, land-use changes and climate pressures. The walker covered 40 km on the first day, including a 22.5-km trek, before stopping for lunch and then going another 17 km. On Day 2, he walked and occasionally ran the remaining 45 km. 'The walk was a joy — there were beautiful views and the weather was perfect,' Trevelyan said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I underestimated how fast I could walk, meaning I was trundling along for a solid 12 hours a day. 'The costume was fairly easy to walk in as it was very lightweight. 'As long as I pointed the beak in the correct direction and ducked underneath the occasional branch I was fine.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO He said it took him three days to create the costume, which included a four-yard-long beak and hand-painted details. 'It was a lot of trial and error — but I'm glad it came out so well as I wanted it to be as beautiful as the actual bird,' he said. 'The hardest part to make was the head and the beak, which was quite tricky, but once that was out the way it was a lot easier to finish. 'I was never worried about the walk. I just wanted to make sure I had done a good job with the costume.' The enthusiasts said Nidderdale Way is one of the last remaining strongholds for the endangered bird. The numbers of the bird have reportedly halved over the last 20 years with only 58,000 remaining in the wild. Canada Federal Elections Toronto Blue Jays Sports Federal Elections
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Volunteers flocking to aid iconic bird's recovery
THE iconic call of the curlew for generations has been associated with the start of spring. Sadly, the curlew is one of the country's most rapidly declining breeding bird species. But in Cumbria, volunteers are now flocking to a project whose aim is to bring these birds back from the brink. A volunteer evening hosted by the Melbreak Curlew Recovery Project proved a resounding success, with 48 new volunteers wanting to become actively involved. The Curlew Recovery Project, based in and around the Cocker Valley, started early in 2024 in response to the rapidly declining number of curlews, which are now on the Red List of the UK Conservation Status Report of endangered species. Diane Clarke, who was part of the team that saved four curlew nests last year, from which eleven chicks successfully hatched, spoked about her rewarding experience as one of the first volunteers BTO expert, Thalia, with ringed chicks (Image: Supplied) There followed a 'speed dating' session, comprising four tables with displays, each hosted by an experienced volunteer, describing the various volunteer opportunities – Surveys and Mapping, Nest Finding and Monitoring, and Protective Fencing and Maintenance. READ MORE: Volunteers were able to visit each table to learn what is involved and to see and handle all the equipment used. Last, but not least, 'The Engine Room' covered administrative roles, monitoring and analysing information, publicity and fundraising. As well as visual storyboards about the life of the curlew, a recording of the delightful song of the curlew was periodically played. 'The response from new volunteers has been amazing and we are delighted to welcome them to the group', said David Gardiner, Chair of Melbreak Curlew Recovery Project. 'We have received very positive feedback, which clearly demonstrates that residents, farmers and landowners alike, some beyond our local area, share a deep seated concern and interest in recovering nature and wildlife. "With extra funding from Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL), we have been able to purchase further equipment and we now look forward to extending our work by protecting an increasing number of nests. With the help of our extra volunteers, we are on track to do just that! "The first spring curlews have already been heard in the valley and we are excited about the year ahead.' Diana Clarke said: 'It's such a privilege to be involved in this project. I have learnt so much about these wonderful birds and it makes me all the more determined to do all I can to save them' For further information, or if you would like to be involved with the Curlew Recovery Project, please contact David Gardiner If anyone sees or hears curlews in and around the Cocker Valley, an email to sightingsatmelbreakcurlews@ would be appreciated, with the date, time and location. The Curlew Recovery Project has been funded by Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) and is part of the Melbreak Wildlife Group, an initiative of the Melbreak Communities.
