This review will examine the exhibition Nature Studies by Kim Anno. This exhibition is currently being displayed in the waterfront building Ipswich and encounters the interactions between human and nature. ‘These works are part of a feverish search to find the iconic moments and reimagined tipping points for the human footprint on the natural world.’ (Artineastanglia.com, 2018). With this in mind I will explore how this exhibition explores and displays the concepts of this artist’s ideas.
The exhibition itself was created in one room split into different sections using walls to lead the viewer through the works as well as displaying some work in display boxes. The way in which this exhibition was set up allows the viewer a clear open plan to the works with each piece being able to stand clearly apart from the others yet still being noticed as a series of works. It is the way in which she has used space which has given the viewer a clear path through the exhibition.
There was fifteen pieces within this exhibition which varied vastly in the mediums she used from oils, to film and photography. By having such a different selection of mediums within the series it allowed the reviewer to observe the subject matter of ‘the human footprint on the natural world’ (Kim Anno, 2018) in different visuals that still relay the obvious themes of the works. By numbering the works and giving the viewer a program, with the list of titles in, it has given the audience a clear path in which to follow through the exhibition and as a result flows to give the audience a narrative within the works. Most of the works in this display are of a very large scale which clearly gave the work an imposing presence when walking around the exhibition however to counteract this Anno had also incorporated smaller works such as her book which really draws the viewer into the works and how they all interact with each other as a whole. As well breaking up the empty space and drawing the audience closer to the works themselves.
One of the mediums that Anno has used within her work is oils on paper and wood, she does this by altering existing images made by steel engravings as an interpretation of us as humans recreating the nature to suit our own Romantic version of how we view the nature around us. By doing this she interprets that we ‘somehow, we sought solace, science and romantic illusions in our quest for understanding nature’. (Kim Anno, 2018) when looking at these works there was a clear acknowledgement of scale colour and imagery that tells the story of Kim Anno’s interpretation of Nature. When looking at the scale of her painting you could see that the artist liked to use a larger scale for the works themselves and by doing that it really gave an impact to the subject matter of the piece by having the imagery so large.
Depicted in these images are scenic views of land scape combined with people within the scenes then Anno had then overlaid vibrant colours within the image to represent how us as humans adapt the views of nature and landscapes to their own ideal of how they wish nature to look. The collaboration of human and nature within her work was a clear theme within this exhibition and gave a clear concept that allowed the viewer to really question how they respond and mould the land into how they want it to look rather than appreciating its natural beauty unaltered.
Water cities is a film piece projected separately from the other pieces of the work within the exhibition isolated via three walls. Similar to her oil work Anno had also chosen to project the imagery of this piece in a large-scale format, which had allowed the viewer to fully immerse themselves into the films action. As well as the imagery aspect of the work it is also worth noting the collaboration of imagery and sound within the display which gives the viewer another sensory element to the piece which permits the viewer into a furthered ‘in-depth’ experience of the work. Anno’s film work allows further insight into her collaboration of not only human and nature, but also the concepts of the arts and sport and how they work together in harmony. Anno states in her talk (at the start of her exhibition) that “sports and art have a close relationship” (Kim Anno Talk,2018) and when creating pieces such as Water cities this idea is a heavy influence of that concept and therefore is another clear example of her passion for the subject matter.
Another way that Anno has chosen to display the ideas of her evolving work within this exhibition is by using the medium of photography to express the human involvement in the nature of which we are surrounded by. By doing this Anno has created large scale prints of her images that she has then chosen to display unframed. By doing this it allows the viewer to involve the prints for the images themselves without the distraction of framing so that the images are the only focal point. The way that Anno creates her photography is very similar to her film work in the respect that she encapsulates a story within that imagery. This was about the impact that humans have when they are interacting with the world whether that is a positive or a destructive manner and then she documents these discoveries. The images that she had chosen were all very clear in imagery and surrounds and gives the viewer the perspective to create a narrative to the piece and its scenario. By doing this it had given the audience another medium to expand her concepts further with the regards to the dominant nature aspect of this exhibition.
Overall this exhibition is a clear acknowledgment of Anno’s multi-medium artworks that has a clear concept of the connection between human and natural interactions, and a vast way of questioning and documenting this process. When exploring the exhibition as a whole it allows the viewer a clear insight into her practice and ideas and guides you through the story of her thoughts in a variety of different ways.
Bibliography
Artineastanglia.com. (2018). Nature Studies – Kim Anno. [online] Available at: https://www.artineastanglia.com/events-workshops/nature-studies-kim-anno [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].
Kim Anno- Nature Studies 2018 Exhibition Program
Kim Anno- Nature studies talk 2018
Kimanno.com. (2018). Kim Anno : Painting : Video : Photography : Projects. [online] Available at: http://www.kimanno.com/ [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].
University of Suffolk. (2018). Kim Anno Launch Night. [online] Available at: https://www.uos.ac.uk/events/kim-anno-launch-night [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].
