Photography exhibitions to see in April 2017
'Tis the season of spring cleaning and new beginnings, giving you the opportunity to start afresh in more ways than one. Feeling uninspired? Head to a photography exhibition to get those creative juices flowing again.
Here’s a list of new exhibitions that will get you thinking about your next trip out with the camera. A beautiful canvas print could be on the horizon…
Where: Parasol Unit, London
When: Until 21 May, 2017
An old German term for the Middle East, ‘Morgenland’ means ‘morning land’ – a world saturated in light. Having travelled this part of the world for more than a decade, Elger Esser is more than qualified to run his first UK solo exhibition. Hi photographs are larger than life, showing the beautiful landscapes he has captured along his travels in the Eastern countries of Lebanon, Egypt and Israel.
Rather than chronicling the aftermath of conflict, his work is instead of tranquil riverbanks and stunning horizons. Parasol Unit explains that his images are taken on an 8x10 Land camera, and the images are developed in a darkroom before being scaled up for dramatic effect.
Nature and the landscape are central themes in Morgenland, with beauty being the name of the game.
You Are Looking at Something That Never Occurred
Where: Zabludowicz Collection, London
When: Until 9 July, 2017
Bringing together 14 international photography artists, this exhibition spans a 40-year period from 1977 to the present day. The artists include:
- Lucas Blalock
- Anne Collier
- Sara Cwynar
- Natalie Czech
- Andreas Gursky
- Elad Lassry
- Richard Prince
- Thomas Ruff
- Cindy Sherman
- Erin Shirreff
- Wolfgang Tillmans
- Sara VanDerBeek
- Jeff Wall
- Christopher Williams
The exhibition is described as using the camera to “blur boundaries between past and present, fact and fiction”. It’s title - ‘You Are Looking at Something That Never Occurred’ – was borrowed from a conversation between Lucas Blalock and Jeff Wall (two of the artists featured) where they are championing art that is “experimental and mysterious”.
The collection of images highlights the connection between artists from very different generations.
A full-colour publication accompanies the exhibition, as well as a commissioned essay from David Campany, a round-table discussion moderated by artist and writer Chris Wiley (including Lucas Blalock, Sara Cwynar and Erin Shirreff, and a text by Paul Luckraft - the exhibition curator.
Where: David Zwirner, London
When: Until 20 May, 2017
Described as “a show of photography, about photography”, this exhibition shows the work of Christopher Williams – his eighth solo exhibition with the David Zwirner gallery – with images of cloudless skies, smiling children and pretty cookware, as well as interesting shots of camera equipment itself. Using a cross-sectional approach, he captures the intricacies of cameras highlighting the screws and components – essentially taking an impressive picture of the item that takes impressive pictures.
The two floor exhibition is playful in seeming to be exactly the same upstairs as downstairs, but look closer and all is revealed…
Be sure to also check out our blog posts on crowd photography and allotment photography - the perfect excuse for getting out and about with your camera!
