See Also: A Round up of Pessimistic but Powerful Projects
I look at a lot of wonderful work as a part of my job. Here is a collection of some of the more interesting things I’ve found, old and new.
Maybe it’s because the end of summer is approaching that I’ve recently been drawn to pessimistic or cringe-inducing work. Although the common themes tying these pieces together are sadness, dystopia, death, and injury, the projects I’ve been loving are beautifully crafted and thoughtfully executed. Pessimistic perhaps, but very powerful.
Now Japan
Illustrator Karolis Strautniekas has been on my radar for a while, but I had never properly explored his portfolio. I came across this beautiful animated short on his site for the Now Japan Festival in Lithuania from 2014. The 20-second spot is perfectly orchestrated — from the unsettling sound design, to vignettes that feel subversive but culturally relevant. I’ve never seen an advertisement for a festival that’s both morbid and addictive to watch.
Coda
This multi-award winning animated short popped up in It’s Nice That a few months ago, and I can’t stop watching it. Coda, created by the Irish studio And Maps and Plans, is a sobering meditation on death and the capriciousness of life. It’s a brilliant narrative that makes you question what actually happens at the end.
Photographers Quarterly + Phillip Toledano
Issue number two of the online publication Photographers Quarterly launched earlier this August. Created by photo industry veterans Jon Blaustein and Rob Haggart in April, the publication is minimalist and image driven, featuring five to six artist projects per quarter and a letter from the editor. My favorite project this issue was Maybe by photographer Phillip Toledano. The artist enlisted fortune tellers, hypnotists, numerologists, and palm readers to predict his future. Based off of these predictions, Toledano created hypothetical views of his foretold destinies — all of which are rather unpleasant.
Banksy’s Dismaland
This week the artist Banksy opened his dystopian version of Disneyland called Dismaland in a seaside resort town in England. Coined “The UK’s most disappointing visitor attraction!” the theme park features work from Banksy as well as 58 additional artists such as Jenny Holzer and Damien Hirst. According to the trailer, the park looks pretty dismal — refugee ships, toy crime scenes, and a militarized cookie monster — but nonetheless, a stellar artist lineup and some acerbic social commentary sounds like a good vacation to me.
Regine Peterson
In preparation for the Unseen Photo Festival, in Amsterdam in a few weeks I’ve been compiling my must-see list. A great aspect of the festival is the “Unseen Premiers” — works that haven’t been exhibited anywhere before. One of the featured photographers is Regine Peterson, winner of the Outset | Unseen Exhibition Fund last year at the festival. Her three part series on fallen meteorites follows those affected by the impacts, starting with an in-depth focus on Alabama, where Anne Hodges was struck in 1954 by a meteorite that smashed through her roof. The project combines found images with Peterson’s portraits of places and people — quiet traces of supernatural, violent impact.
The Guide to Flora and Fauna of the World
This is a stranger find. The Institute of Critical Zoologists, according to their website, is an “Interdisciplinary center devoted to promoting critical zoological dialogue and research.” This combination of animals, scientists and artists results in odd and awesome work. One of my favorites is The Guide to Flora and Fauna of the World first published in 1973 and initiated by Zhao Renhui. The beautiful edition, purchasable here, features fifty-five plates with accompanying booklets and pamphlets. The images mostly portray mounted animals on pastel backgrounds, but the set is interspersed with other oddities from nature, such a square apple or the world’s hardest egg. It’s a lovely meditation on the imperceptible differences between scientific documentation and fine art.
