CHRYSTELLEBAS&SOFIJASILVIA

ThroughphotographicinvestigationoftwoCroatiannationalparksChrystel LebasandSofi jaSi lvia inviteustoreflectontheinteractionofhumans,animalsandthebotanical.Whatdowelearnaboutthehistoriesofthesespecificplaces,abouthumanideals,andaboutforestryandhorticulturalvisionfromexaminingtheshapingoftheselandscapesandtheremainsofbuildingsfromformereras?Investigationofcomplexenvironmentssuchasmanagedparks,whereintensionsintheintegrationandinteractionofnaturalandculturalphenomenaarevariouslymanifest,takestime.Bothartistsreturnfrequentlytospecificsites,atdifferenttimesofyear,waiting,observing,listeninganddocumentingthatwhichoccurs.Intheir‘ConversationsonNature’SofijaSilviaandChrystelLebasreferencetraditionalpaintingstyles,constructingpoetictableaux.Asacontemporaryregisterofnaturalphenomenatheexhibitioninviteustoreflectonattitudestonatureandonapproachestotheconservationandmanagementofruralareasoftenparadoxicallyrepresentedaspastoralpreservesforwalkingandclimbingwhilstsimultaneouslyorganisedasspacesforhuntingandfishing,killingpursuitsthatseeminglycontradicttheidealisationofanimalsandoftraditionalagriculturalscenariossuchasvineyardsandolivegrovesthatmotivatestheprotectionofwildernessareasasnationalparks.

SpendingtimeinremoterareasoftheBrijuniislands,SofijaSilviaobservedtheanimalsroamingfreelyaroundthepark.Thisledhertoreflectontheideaoftheislandasalandscapedgardenandonourpositionasobserverofanidealised‘nature’re‐organisedinresponsetohumaninterestsanddesires.Focusingontheanimalsandthewoodlandhabitatherphotographyandmovingimagerytestifytothecomplexstoryoftheislands,offeringinsightsintoahistorythatstillisnotcommonknowledgeandglimpsesofscenesnotnormallyexperiencedonadayvisit.

ConversationsonNature

Exhibit ionopening:June16at8pmMuseumofModernandContemporaryArt, Ri jeka,Croatia, June16–July30Curator:L izWells

PHOTOFORUM,June17,TheCityHall,CityofRijekaForumSpeakers:LizWells(Writer,CuratorandConvenor,Land/WaterandtheVisualArtsatPlymouthUniversity);AlexandraLazar(FreelanceWriterandCurator,ResearcheratCourtauldInstituteofArt,London);ChrystelLebas&SofijaSilvia;DjuroHuber(ProfessorFacultyofVeterinaryMedicine,UniversityofZagreb);SandroDujmović(Expert‐protectionactivitiesofBrijuniNationalPark).

Sof i jaSilvia,SilentIslands,Brijuni‐ImaginaryLandscape–no.02–Fog,C–Type,2009

Lebas’linkwithCroatia,specificallyRisnjakNationalPark,developedfromthissearchforwiderunderstandingofthiscomplexencounterbetweenmanandnature.Likeanimalsandhunters,sheventuresoutatdawnand,moreoften,atdusk,filmingintwilightwhenilluminationgiveswaytodarkness,thefamiliarbecomesstrange,theseenbecomesimperceptible,and,likeanimals,weareforcedtorelyoninstinctandintuition,onsound,smell,textureratherthansight.Unlikewoodlandsexploredbyherelsewhereherethepresenceofbears,stags,wolvesandlynx,thatrenderstheRisnjakhighlandsbothpotentiallydangerousandparticularlyattractiveforhuntersandfortourists,enhancesherfascination.

Chrystel Lebas,Presence‐Untitledn.30‐Risnjak‐Kupa‐2010

Sofi jaSi lvia‐(Si lviaPotočki Smil janić ) Born1979inPula,Croatia.ReceivedherBAhonoursin2002,fromFAMU‐TheFilmandTVSchooloftheAcademyofPerformingArtsinPrague,CzechRepublic.In2007graduatedfromtheMAFineArtcourseattheCentralSaintMartinsCollegeofArtandDesignLondon.ShehasshownherworkinternationallyinvariousgalleriesincludinginGraz,AustriaattheCameraAustriagalleryattheKunsthaus,inSloveniaattheSlovenianHouseofPhotographyAPTGallery,ModernagalerijaandMestnagalerijainLjubljana,Slovenia,intheArtPavilioninZagreb,CroatiaandmostrecentlyattheBrotKunsthalleinVienna,Austria.In2010sheorganizedandcuratedInsidetheIsland,aninternationalgroupshowandsymposium,ontheislandofBrijuni,NationalParkBrijuni,inCroatia.HerworkhasbeenpublishedinternationallyintheCameraAustriaInternationalmagazine,CzechFotograf,SlovenianFotografijaandCroatianČovjekiprostor,KunturaandOris,in2010inSandraKrižićRoban'sbookAtSecondGlance,PositionsofContemporaryCroatianPhotographyandin2011HRT(CroatianNationalTelevision)filmedtwodocumentariesaboutherworkfortheseriesPhotographyinCroatiaandPortrait.

Chrystel Lebas BorninFrance,ChrystelLebaslivesandworksinLondon.ShegraduatedfromtheRoyalCollegeofArtin1997andhasexhibitedintheUKandinternationally.Selectedexhibitions:‘ChrystelLebas,EtudesBel‐Val’,MuséedelaChasseetdelaNature,Paris(2010);‘BetweenDogandWolf’atWitzenhausenGalleryNewYork&Amsterdam(2010),FocalPointGallery,SouthendonSea,UK(2008),andNichidoContemporaryArt,Tokyo(2003);‘BlueHour’atThePhotographers’Gallery,London(2006),‘Twilight:PhotographyinTheMagicHour’,VictoriaandAlbertMuseum,London(2006)andfilmscreeningatTheMuséedelachasseetdelanature,Paris(2008).ThemonographL’espacetemps‐TimeinSpace(2003)receivedaBritishBookDesignandProductionAward2004andwasincludedintheRencontresd'ArlesBookAwardExhibitioninthesameyear.AlsoexhibitedinArleshersecondmonographBetweenDogandWolf(2006).WorksbyChrystelLebasareheldinseveralprivateandpubliccollectionsamongstthemtheVictoriaandAlbertMuseum(London),BibliothèqueNationale(Paris),TheNationalMediaMuseum(Bradford),VitalArt(London),TheCitigroupPrivateBank(UK),LeMuséedelaChasseetdelaNature(Paris)andTheWilsonCenterofPhotography(London).CurrentlyAdjunctAssistantProfessoratRichmondtheAmericanInternationalUniversityinLondonandAssociateLectureratUniversityoftheArtsLondon.

L izWellswritesandlecturesonphotographicpractices.SheisauthorofLandMatters:LandscapePhotography,CultureandIdentity,IBTauris,2011.SheeditedThePhotographyReader,2003,andPhotography:ACriticalIntroduction,2009,4thed.andisalsoco‐editorofphotographies,Routledgejournals.ExhibitionsascuratorincludeUneasySpaces(NewYork,Sept‐Nov.2006),FacingEast,ContemporaryLandscapePhotographyfromBalticAreas(UKtour2004‐2007)andLandscapesofExploration(forthcoming2012).PublicationsonlandscapeincludeLizWells,KateNewtonandCatherineFehily,eds.,ShiftingHorizons,Women’sLandscapePhotographyNow,2000.Recentessaysonphotographersexploringpeopleandplaceinclude‘SilentLandscape’EXIT38(Spring2010);‘FiguresinaLandscape’,TrineSøndergaardandNicolaiHowalt,HowtoHunt(2010);‘TheExtraordinaryEveryday’,MarteAas,(2010);‘PoewticsandSilence’,JormaPuranen,IcyProspects.(2009).

SheisProfessorinPhotographicCulture,FacultyofArts,UniversityofPlymouth,UK,andconvenestheresearchgroupforLand/WaterandtheVisualArts.www.landwater‐research.co.uk

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