Aesthetica

Last updated

Aesthetica
Aesthetica.jpg
Cover of Aesthetica, Issue 92, 2019
EditorCherie Federico
Categories Art, Architecture, Design, Fashion, Photography
FrequencyBi-monthly
PublisherCherie Federico, Dale Donley
Founded2002
First issue2003
CompanyAesthetica Magazine Ltd
CountryUnited Kingdom
Based in York
LanguageEnglish
Website www.aestheticamagazine.com
ISSN 1743-2715


Aesthetica Magazine is an internationally recognized publication focusing on art and culture. Established in 2002, the magazine provides bi-monthly coverage of contemporary art across various disciplines, including visual arts, photography, architecture, fashion, and design. With wide distribution, it has garnered a readership of over 311,000 globally. [1]

Contents

In addition to its publishing activities, Aesthetica organizes a range of awards, exhibitions, and events in the fields of art, photography, literature, and film. These initiatives include the Future Now Symposium, the Art Prize, the Creative Writing Award and the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival.

Cherie Federico, who serves as the Managing Director and Editor of Aesthetica, was honored as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2008. [2] In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, in June 2019. [3]

History

Aesthetica was founded by Cherie Federico and Dale Donley, while they were students at York St John University, in 2002. [4]

In 2003, the magazine expanded its distribution to Borders. By 2007, Aesthetica became available in WHSmith high-street stores and prominent galleries such as the ICA, Tate and National Portrait Gallery in London, Arnolfini in Bristol, and the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow. [5] [6] In 2009, Aesthetica significantly expanded its distribution network and can now be found in major airports, train stations across the country, department stores like Selfridges and Harrods, and is exported to over 20 countries worldwide. [7]

Content

Aesthetica Magazine encompasses a wide range of subjects including art, design, architecture, fashion, film, and music. The publication features articles on notable new exhibitions worldwide and presents contemporary photography by both emerging and established practitioners The magazine showcases works of leading artists, including Steve McQueen, Martin Creed, [8] Ai Weiwei, [9] Jenny Holzer, [10] Alex Prager, [11] Stephen Shore, [12] Joel Meyerowitz, [13] Cindy Sherman, [14] Viviane Sassen, [15] and many others.

The articles published in Aesthetica delve into various topics, such as the relationship between art and politics, [16] the fusion of fashion and technology, [17] contemporary minimalist design, [18] and innovations in architecture. [19]

Photography

A significant portion of Aesthetica Magazine is dedicated to photography, featuring captivating photo essays by renowned artists such as Richard Tuschman and Stephen Shore. [20] The publication has also showcased the impressive works of photographers like Julia Fullerton-Batten, Maia Flore, Carolina Mizrahi, Formento & Formento, Ryan Schude, Natalia Evelyn Bencicova, Maria Svarbova, Brad Walls, Kevin Cooley, Emily Shur, Miles Aldridge, and Michael Wolf. Notably, recent issues have featured cover photographs by creative duos including Sally Ann & Emily May, JUCO, Yossi Michaeli, Eugenio Recuenco, Daniel Korzewa, Jacques Olivar, and Jimmy Marble.[ citation needed ]

Exhibitions

Aesthetica Magazine provides coverage of the latest exhibitions opening at major art institutions worldwide. The editorial team highlights noteworthy exhibitions and their significance in the art world. Previous features have included exhibitions such as "Hello, my name is Paul Smith" at the Design Museum, London, "What is Luxury?" at the V&A, London, "The Future of Fashion is Now" at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Frank Gehry's retrospective at Centre Pompidou; Mona Hatoum's retrospective at Tate Modern, a collection of Pierre Paulin's designs at Centre Pompidou, Jenny Holzer's site-specific commission at MASS MoCA, Anthony McCall at The Hepworth, Ai Weiwei at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Gregory Crewdson at The Photographers' Gallery, "The Future Starts Here" at the V&A and "Björk Digital" at Somerset House. [21]

Architecture

Aesthetica Magazine focuses on architecture features that revolve around urban development, sustainability, geopolitics and adaptability. Previous articles have explored renowned architects and events such as Frank Gehry, [22] Venice Biennale, [23] Bernard Tschumi, [24] the Chicago Architecture Biennale, [25] the Serpentine Pavilions and the RIBA Stirling Prize. [26] These features delve into the architectural innovations, design concepts, and socio-political implications related to urban spaces, sustainability practices, and the evolving nature of architecture in response to contemporary challenges.

Design

Aesthetica Magazine frequently showcases features on design, exploring various aspects such as social spaces, domestic solutions, and contemporary practices of the 21st century. The publication has covered significant design events including the London Design Biennale, [27] the Shanghai Expo, the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair and Surface Design Show. [28] In addition, Aesthetica publishes articles on new releases from prestigious publishing houses such as Prestel Publishing and Thames and Hudson, providing insights into the latest design trends, innovations, and influential works in the field.

Fashion

Aesthetica Magazine has extensively covered the realm of fashion, featuring renowned designers and institutions in the industry. The publication has showcased designers from London Fashion Week. including emerging talents and established names. Notable designers such as Iris van Herpen, [29] Viktor & Rolf, [30] Pauline van Dongen, Crafting Plastics!, and exhibitions from The Metropolitan Museum of Art have been prominently featured. [31]

Film

Aesthetica Magazine's film section offers reviews and exploration of new films, with a particular emphasis on works of artistic merit. The publication has covered a diverse range of filmmakers including Alice Lowe, Ben Wheatley, [32] Richard Ayoade, [33] Atiq Rahimi, [34] and Michel Gondry. Aesthetica has reviewed acclaimed films such as Pawel Pawlikowski's BAFTA-winning "Ida," Yann Demange's BAFTA-nominated "'71," and Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard's "20,000 Days on Earth," which won the Editing Award and the Directing Award at Sundance in the World Cinema Documentary category. [35] Additionally, the film section often explores film festivals [36] and features interviews with festival programmers, cinematographers, directors, writers, and other industry professionals, providing a comprehensive perspective on the world of cinema. [37]

Music

Aesthetica Magazine delves into various facets of music, exploring diverse topics such as the manipulation of found sounds, [38] the creation of music from video games, [39] the influence of YouTube on the music industry, and the evolution of music videos. [40] The publication also covers subjects such as opera, dance music, instrument design, musical comedy, production techniques, and album packaging. [41] Furthermore, Aesthetica conducts interviews with acclaimed musicians, including award-winning artists like Alt-J, [42] CHVRCHES, Chelsea Wolfe, and Anna of the North, providing insights into their creative processes and perspectives on the contemporary music landscape. [43]

Last Words

At the end of each magazine is the section Last Words, which features work and a statement by a prominent artist. Previous artists include Cornelia Parker, [44] Julio Le Parc, Marie Hald, Chiharu Shiota and Do Ho Suh.

Artists' Directory

Aesthetica also offers the Artists' Directory network for both emerging and established practitioners. This provides an opportunity for artists to connect with art collectors and gallerists.

Awards

Aesthetica Short Film Festival

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is an international film festival which takes place annually in York, England, at the beginning of November. Founded in 2011, it celebrates independent film from around the world, and is an outlet for supporting and championing filmmaking. The program includes over 400 films screenings and 100 events, such as masterclasses, networking sessions, panel discussions and the Industry Marketplace.

ASFF is also a BAFTA- and BIFA- Qualifying festival, meaning short films that are screened may be eligible for these awards.

The festival opens for entries on 1 December and closes on 31 May. ASFF welcomes submissions from emerging and established practitioners, accepting short films across a range of genres including; Advertising, Animation, Artists’ Film, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Fashion, Music Video and Thriller. Since 2018, ASFF has also accepted Feature Film entries over 60 minutes, as well as Virtual Reality & Immersive projects.

Official Selection

All films in the Official Selection are in competition to receive a number of awards. These awards recognize outstanding talent in filmmaking practice. The winning films are selected by a jury of industry experts, and are presented at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony.

Aesthetica Art Prize

The Aesthetica Art Prize is an annual award celebrating contemporary artists through exhibition and publication. Two prizes are awarded: Main and Emerging. The exhibition has taken place at York Art Gallery since 2017, and has exhibited works from practitioners including Magnum photographers, Turner Prize-nominees, RSA Film directors, World Press Photo winners and Prix Pictet nominees. The Prize attracts thousands of entries each year from countries including Australia, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, the UK and the USA. The judging panel has included representatives from BALTIC, Frieze, V&A, Guggenheim, British Council, Brooklyn Museum and FACT Liverpool.

Entries open in January and close on 31 August. The £10,000 Prize welcomes submissions across: Photographic and Digital Art; Three Dimensional Design and Sculpture; Painting, Drawing and Mixed-Media, and Video, Installation and Performance. [45]

The 16th edition of the Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition opened on 24 March 2023, and winners were announced from a shortlist of 21 artists. The Main Prize Winner was Larry Achiampong, and the Emerging Prize Winner was Hope Strickland. Other finalists included Bea Last, who created a site-specific installation in the Artist's Garden at York Art Gallery.

Aesthetica Future Now Symposium

The Future Now Symposium is a two-day annual event. It brings together key institutions, galleries and publications for discussion surrounding pressing issues from the creative industries. Future Now describes itself as "a platform for idea generation" and includes debates, career advice and cultural engagement.

Originally launched in 2016, Future Now sessions are led by artists, curators, academics and representatives from cultural institutions in the UK such as Tate, Art Fund, Arts Council England, Whitechapel Gallery, Royal College of Art, Frieze, V&A, Getty Images Gallery, The Art Newspaper, Foam Amsterdam, RIBA, Magnum Photos, London Art Fair, The Design Museum, Serpentine Galleries, BALTIC, Creative Review , Photo London, Design Museum, Glasgow School of Art, [46] MoMA, High Museum of Art, Fondazione Prada, Gagosian, International Center of Photography, ICA Boston and British Council. Future Now's sixth edition was hosted completely online.

Topics have included: Arts Journalism is the Digital Age; How to Get Ahead as an Emerging Artist; Talent Development and Art Prizes;The Changing Face of the Art Institution;Environmental Photography: How Can Images Save Us?; Curating During a Time of Change;Documentary & Ethics: When is it Your Story to Tell?; Digital Ecologies: Three-Dimensional Storytelling; The Business of Art: The Future of Collecting; Decolonising the Art World; and Deep Fakes: Control and Subversion in Art. Speakers have included UK documentary photographer Martin Parr, Cornelia Parker (OBE, RA), Shirin Neshat, Athi-Patra Ruga, Bieke Depoorter, Turner Prize nominees Jane & Louise Wilson, Prix Pictet-winning artist and director Nadav Kander and Official War Artist John Keane.

The eighth edition of the Future Now Symposium took place in York, UK, from 23-24 March 2023. It featured topics such as Designing The Future: VR & Multi-Sensory Experiences; What is the Future Of Photography?; and The Future Of Curation:Who Tells The Story? The program focused on who, and what, is being represented in galleries today, amidst humanity's changing relationship with nature and technology. Featured speakers included Ingrid Pollard, Aziz + Cucher, Ori Gersht, Yuri Suzuki, Larry Achiampong, Hannah Starkey and Maryam Wahid, as well as galleries including Open Eye Gallery and Barbican Centre.

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize for established and emerging poets and writers. [47] Shortlisted entries are published annually in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award Anthology; [48] whilst category winners receive a share of £5,000 prize money.

Call for entries open in January and close on 31 August, accepting entries across Poetry and Short Fiction.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Center of Photography</span> Photography museum in Manhattan, New York

The International Center of Photography (ICP), at 79 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, consists of a museum for photography and visual culture and a school offering an array of educational courses and programming. ICP's photographic collection, reading room, and archives are at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, New Jersey. The organization was founded by Cornell Capa in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Knight (photographer)</span> British photographer

Nicholas David Gordon Knight is a British fashion photographer and founder and director of SHOWstudio.com. He is an honorary professor at University of the Arts London and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. by the same university. He has produced books of his work including retrospectives Nicknight (1994) and Nick Knight (2009). In 2016, Knight's 1992 campaign photograph for fashion brand Jil Sander was sold by Phillips auction house at the record-breaking price of HKD 2,360,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Rolston</span> American photographer, music video director

Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his career with the revival and modern expression of Hollywood glamour.

Alice Rawsthorn OBE is a British design critic and author. Her books include Design as an Attitude (2018) and Hello World: Where Design Meets Life (2013). She is chair of the board of trustees at the Chisenhale Gallery in London and at The Hepworth Wakefield gallery in Yorkshire. Rawsthorn is a founding member of Writers at Liberty, a group of writers who are committed to supporting the work of the human rights charity Liberty. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to design and the arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Walker</span> British fashion photographer

Timothy Walker HonFRPS is a British fashion photographer who regularly works for Vogue, W and Love magazines. He is based in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri</span> Indian-born Canadian-British director, photographer, artivist and lecturer

Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri is an Indian artist, film director, and photographer.

The World Photography Organisation is a British company best known for its annual Sony World Photography Awards. The company was founded in 2007 by Scott Gray, and is now a subsidiary of Gray's art events company Creo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Ogden (photographer)</span> American photographer

Eric Ogden is an American photographer, artist and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dina Goldstein</span> Canadian artist

Dina Goldstein is a visual artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Goldstein creates tableau with a nuanced visual language that places the mundane and everyday in unusual settings to inspire insight into the human condition. Goldstein began her career over 30 years ago as a photojournalist, evolving from a documentary and editorial photographer into an independent artist focusing on large-scale productions of nuanced Narrative Photography tableaux. Her work is highly conceptual and complex social commentary; incorporating cultural archetypes and iconography from the collective common imagination with narratives inspired by the human condition. Leaning into the visual language of pop surrealism, she stages compositions that expose the underbelly of modern life, challenging the notions of cultural influence and inherent belief systems. Goldstein's alternate realities question the adaptation, the societal acceptance of fictional stories and characters inspired by ideology, politics and religion. The vivid and provocative still imagery emerges through an entirely cinematic technique, with Dina’s established methodology following a precise pre- to post production process. The artist is most known for her series "Fallen Princesses", created in 2007, which depicts humanized Disney Princesses placed in realistic, modern scenarios. The series envisions how the lives of these famous characters would have played out in the real world, and touches on such everyday scourges as poverty, obesity, cancer and pollution. Goldstein was awarded the Arte Laguna special prize in 2012. In 2014, Goldstein won the grand prize at Prix Virginia; her work was exhibited in Paris, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvert 22 Foundation</span> Non-profit UK registered institution

Calvert 22 Foundation was a non-profit UK registered charity created in 2009 by Leningrad-born, London-based economist Nonna Materkova. Calvert 22 Foundation focused on the contemporary culture and creativity of the 29 countries of the New East through education, events, exhibitions, research, and online content in The Calvert Journal. Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, it ceased operations until further notice.

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is an international film festival which takes place annually in York, England, at the beginning of November. Founded in 2011, it is a celebration of independent film from around the world, and an outlet for supporting and championing filmmaking.

The William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize is an Australian prize for photography awarded by the Museum of Australian Photography. The prize first awarded in 2006. The prize money for the award in 2017 is A$30,000

The Smalls Film Festival is an independent film festival which takes place annually in London. Founded in 2006, the festival is one of the UK's major short film festivals, featuring an international programme of short films, talks, panels, discussions and workshops. The festival has had many collaborative partners including BAFTA, Creative Review, Devilfish, UKTV, Panavision, and the London Design Festival.

Diego Fulvio Fiori, simply known as Diego Fiori is an Italian artist, director and film producer who is mostly active in the field of Video art and particularly known for the short film The Words Hear the Light. This short was presented out of competition in 2015 at the Cannes Film Festival and awarded with the Bronze Award for Editing at the American Movie Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Irving</span> American artist and photographer

Austin Irving is an American contemporary artist and photographer.

Look Photo Biennial is a biannual photography festival based in Liverpool, UK. It is a four-week programme that takes place in various venues in Liverpool and across the North West in April and May. It dates back to 2007 but began in its current format in 2011. From 2018 it is being led by Open Eye Gallery, where the festival is centred.

Maurizio Anzeri is an Italian contemporary artist living and working in London. He works in a variety of media including sculpture, photography, drawing and traditional craft techniques.

Poulomi Basu is an Indian artist, documentary photographer and activist, much of whose work addresses the normalisation of violence against marginalised women.

Pati Solomona Tyrell is an interdisciplinary artist from New Zealand who focuses on performance, videography and photography. Tyrell is a founding member of art collective FAFSWAG. In 2018 Tyrell became the youngest nominee for the Walters Prize, New Zealand's most prestigious contemporary art award, for the video work Fāgogo, subsequently purchased by Auckland Art Gallery. In 2020 Tyrell won the Arts Pasifika Awards' Emerging Pacific Artist Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhou Chengzhou</span>

Zhou Chengzhou is a Chinese film director and photographer.

References

  1. Hong, Matthew (18 June 2017). "Aesthetica". ARTPIL. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  2. "Cherie Federico" [ permanent dead link ], "LinkedIn"
  3. UAL (27 June 2019). "Cherie Federico". UAL. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  4. "Aesthetica Film Festival In York Given BAFTA Accreditation". Yorkshire Times. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  5. "Cherie up for Brits award". York Press. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  6. "Shop - Stockists". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  7. "Shop - Stockists". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  8. "Inclusive Practice: Martin Creed", "Aesthetica", 1 February 2013. Retrieved on 8 October 2014.
  9. "Aesthetica Magazine - Ai Weiwei: Semantics of the Medium". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  10. "Aesthetica Magazine - Socialised Languages". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  11. "Aesthetica Magazine - Alex Prager". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  12. "Aesthetica Magazine - Unassuming Observations". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  13. "Aesthetica Magazine - Enhancing Life". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  14. "Aesthetica Magazine - Cindy Sherman: Challenging Representation". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  15. "Aesthetica Magazine - Fashion Abstraction". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  16. "Aesthetica Magazine - Socialised Languages". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  17. "Aesthetica Magazine - Towards Sustainability". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  18. "Aesthetica Magazine - Dynamic Technologies". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  19. "Realigning Architecture", "Aesthetica", 1 April 2014.
  20. "Art & Design", "Aesthetica"
  21. "Aesthetica Magazine - Towards Hyper-Reality". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  22. "Aesthetica Magazine - Composed Architecture". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  23. "Aesthetica Magazine - Unified Construction". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  24. "Aesthetica Magazine - Realigning Architecture". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  25. "Aesthetica Magazine - State of the Art". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  26. "Aesthetica Magazine - Enduring Foundations". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  27. "Aesthetica Magazine - Fictitious Landscapes". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  28. "Aesthetica Magazine - Universal Reflections". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  29. "Aesthetica Magazine - Challenging Categorisation". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  30. "Aesthetica Magazine - Sculpted Expressions – Viktor&Rolf". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  31. "Aesthetica Magazine - Seizing Innovation". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  32. "Ben Wheatley". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  33. "Parallel Opposites". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  34. "Exposing Secrets". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  35. "20000 Days on Earth". 20000 Days on Earth. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015.
  36. "Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013". Aesthetica Magazine. 30 June 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  37. "BAFTA Shorts 2013". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  38. "Found Sound". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  39. "Game Music Levels Up", "Aesthetica", 1 April 2013
  40. "YouTube Killed the Video Star", "Aesthetica", 1 February 2013
  41. "Music". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  42. "Alt-J". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  43. "Submotion Orchestra". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  44. "Cornelia Parker". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  45. "Aesthetica Magazine - Aesthetica Art Prize". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  46. "Future Now: The Aesthetica Art Prize Symposium". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  47. "Short Stories" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014.
  48. "Lecturer's short story shortlisted for Creative Writing Award". University of Bedfordshire.