Creativity is the heartbeat of our world. It sparks innovation and it is the force that drives change. Yet, it does not exist in isolation and thrives in the spaces between us – those serendipitous encounters and the brave intersections where different perspectives converge. This issue celebrates how when we open our minds to unexpected collaborations, we allow ourselves to be surprised, challenged and transformed by the ideas of others. We are given access to new worlds through the experimentation of artists like Bootsy Holler, Brendan George Ko, Carlos Idun-Tawiah, Lotto Ekkel and Onoko.
Echoes Preserved | Brendan George Ko’s portraits of friends, often bathed in light and shadow, meet high-quality, crisp close-up shots of foliage to set the scene.
Societies Transformed | Right now, Cao Fei is one of the biggest names in the art world. She is making multimedia work about technology and urban change in China.
Distilled Atmospheres | Colour dances across Onoko’s pages, forming complex, textured, impressionistic images that bleed into the paper like watercolor paintings.
Spatial Responsibility | Site-specific sculpture and installation are used to push back against art’s commodification and reproduction in Cerith Wyn Evans’ latest exhibit.
Details Up Close | Unnoticed moments are the subjects of Lotte Ekkel’s images, from single leaves to moonlit raindrops and eerie, lonesome tree branches.
Moments of Nostalgia | Based in Accra, Ghana, Carlos Idun-Tawiah is tapping into childhood memories and family photo albums to construct fictional narratives.
The Self Reflected | Charting the role of mirrors in the history of art, from Renaissance paintings to the latest in photography and immersive installations.
Sense of Detachment | Out in the landscape, Bootsy Holler harnesses the self-portraiture genre as a way to visualise and work through difficult, personal emotions.
Boundless Imagination | A new architecture book shows what happens when we combine the human imagination with powerful digital tools to realise escapist ideas.
Uplifting Narratives | Fares Micue returns to Aesthetica with positivity and optimism, sharing a joyful outlook on life through a meticulous image-making process.
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Image Credits:
- Brendan George Ko, Margo I. From the Scrapbook series. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Brendan Geoge Ko, Ko. From the Scrapbook series. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Cao Fei, Nova (2019) (video still), single-channel HD video, colour, sound, 97:13 min, 2.35:1. © Cao Fei, Vitamin Creative. Courtesy Sprüth Magers.
- Onoko, Percept Op.19, Switzerland (2020). Image courtesy of the artist.
- Onoko, Percept 126.17:09, Somewhere in South Korea in 2023, on longitude 126 at 17:09. Image courtesy of the artist.
- Cerith Wyn Evans, …the Illuminating Gas, Pirelli Hangar Bicocca, Milan. 31 October 2019 – 6 July 2020. © Agostino Sio. Courtesy of the artist; White Cube; Pirelli Hangar Bicocca.
- Lotte Ekkel, Kintsugi, (2022). Image courtesy of the artist.
- Lotte Ekkel, Reflections III, (2022). Image courtesy of the artist.
- Carlos Idun-Tawiah, from Obaasima (2021). Image courtesy of the artist.
- Yayoi Kusana, Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, (2013) Wood, metal, glass mirrors, plastic, acrylic panel, rubber, LED lighting system, acrylic balls and water 113 1/4 x 163 1/2 x 163 1/2 inches 287.7 x 415.3 x 415.3 cm © YAYOI KUSAMA. Courtesy of the artist, Zwirner, Ota Fine Arts and Victoria Miro. (Detail).
- Bootsy Holler. Cattle Point – 0824,2002. (2020-2021). Courtesy of the artist.
- Lemeal Studio, from Living in a Dream, Gestalten, (2024).
- Fares Micue, Embracing the Night. Image courtesy of the artist.
