We live in complicated times but still the leaves are turning golden in the northern hemisphere and flowers are blooming in the southern hemisphere and so there is some sense of normalcy, thankfully. Out enjoying life sharing time with friends at dinner parties, walks in nature, galleries and cinema giving us a chance to exchange views with them and new acquaintances, remaining open to new dialogues that may delight and surprise us if we listen and stay open minded.
In this issue of see-zeen we introduce a new feature- A Visual Dialogue. We emphasize how dialogue is crucial in these continuing polarized times. Photographers speak through images. Our new feature pairs two photographers to create new work through this image exchange. To kick off our new feature we invited Dmitry Pechurin and William Major, whose work we published in our first issue. The experience made them both shift the way they see. You can see the results here.
As we breathe in the crisp autumn air we need to find ways to redefine how we navigate life now and moving forward. The world keeps changing and uncertainty continues. We want to play a role in promoting a diversity of emerging artists who express their vision, both universal and personal. Art can trigger conversations and that’s our goal here. To leave judgement behind and stay open to new perspectives.
In see-zeen #2 our selected artists also come from around the globe from places as far flung as: Hungary, South Korea, Poland, China, USA, Greece, South Africa, Bolivia, Bangladesh, UK and Germany.
In Ina Steinhusen’s unique cyanotypes she questions How Fragile We Are while in Tyranny of God, Society and Self, Michal Semczyszyn uses his grids as a metaphor for the constraints that limit our freedom. Alexander Walmsley and Farzana Akthar’s projects recall the challenges of big cities in the 21st century. Akthar’s The City Of Dust makes visual the suffocating air pollution of Dhaka, Bangladesh and Walmsley reflects on the false illusions of the real estate market in Tirana, Albania in Another Facade. Su Kui takes aim at a society obsessed with material excess in her repetitious reconstructions while Kata Geibl questions the entire capitalist system and our survival in There is Nothing New Under the Sun. Hyunmin Ryu deals with love, family and friendship and the questions of generational values. That raises the concern: what does the future hold for his nephew’s generation? Mari Masouridou speaks of anxiety from childhood to adulthood as she digs deep into the unconscious in The Nameless Dread and Ogorogile Nong expresses depression and loneliness in his seemingly joyful When My Heart Cries. Anna Thorne lures us into a light filled meditative state in her work inspired by a near death experience and Christopher Wilstermann’s raw, playful, masked portraits, recreate new identities in a possible future scenario.
Each artist has responded to our questionnaire which appears with their project statement. There is much food for thought and we hope it will inspire you.
Thanks to all the photographers who submitted. We are thrilled with our selection of artists and we applaud the work of these emerging photographers committed to their art.
If you want to be part of see-zeen #3 we invite you to submit. Enjoy see-zeen #2. Enjoy the rest of your autumn. See issue #1 here. Watch out for issue #3 in early 2022 and follow us on IG You will find the subscribe button below.
