A woman hangs upside down acrobatically from a tree. Her body contorts to extend the twisting trunk, filling in the blank space like a new branch. Tamara Dean’s (b. 1976) performative images employ an exquisitely idealised narrative to depict the natural world as a return to Eden. Here, humans are not simply living in harmony with the environment, but seamlessly become part of it – breathing, growing, collaborating and, importantly, thriving.

This large-scale retrospective presents two decades of constructed fine art portraiture by the Australian artist – who began as a photojournalist – from traditional documentary photography to performative, staged portraits. “My work enables conversation about serious environmental issues but from a place of beauty, not destruction,” she explains (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2019). Her oeuvre unearths the artistry inherent in a sustainable life. “I create symbolically charged works, which bridge the separateness humans create in our minds between ourselves and nature.” It’s an affront to the relentless anthropomorphism and individualism that is defining our age.

Η συνέχεια εδώ.