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January Issue 2006
Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, SC, Presents Works by Simon Norfolk
The
Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston's
School of the Arts in Charleston, SC, will host Simon Norfolk:
Et in Arcadia Ego, co-curated by Mark Long, Assistant Professor
of Political Science, and Mark Sloan, Director of the Halsey Institute.
This exhibition will be displayed at the Halsey Gallery from Jan.
13 through Feb. 18, 2006.
The title of this body of work Et in Arcadia Ego is taken from a 1647 painting by Nicholas Poussin. The painting shows a tomb inscribed with the words "Et in Arcadia" surrounded by on-looking shepherds. Translated literally, the phrase means "And I (=death) too (am) in Arcadia" or "I (=the person in the tomb) also used to live in Arcadia." Historically, Arcadia is a region in ancient Greece known for primitive, yet paradise-like characteristics of pastoral landscapes and roaming shepherds. Later, the term "Arcadia" became used more loosely in prose as a pastoral, idyllic place, not specifically located in Greece, comparative to the idea of the "Sublime" in 18th and 19th century European paintings. Poussin's painting implies many metaphors, for example, "where there is life, there is also death."
This title is appropriate to London-based landscape photographer Simon Norfolk's large format photographs examining the landscape of war in Normandy, Liberia, Bosnia, Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Norfolk depicts landscapes that may have been idyllic settings at one time, however their circumstances do not allow this today. All of these photographs were taken since 9/11, depicting the "making of a new global empire" and "the brutality necessary for its construction," the artist states. All of these pictured countries have deep histories, filled with rich cultural traditions and ancient buildings, inevitably mixed with characteristics of modern day.
Norfolk further explains, "Anybody interested in the effects of war quickly becomes an expert in ruins The ruins in these artworks were/are philosophical metaphors about the foolishness of pride; about awe and the Sublime; about the power of God; and, most importantly to me, the vanity of Empire."
Norfolk's works have been exhibited all over the world, including the Imperial War Museum in London; the Holocaust Museum in Houston, as well as galleries and museums in Sarajevo, Naarden, Portland, Cork, Brasilia, New York, Mexico City, Graz and Arles.
Norfolk is frequently published in the New York Times Magazine, as well as other international publications. He was the 2005 recipient of The Association of Photographer's Bursary and the Le Prix Dialogue, Les Renscontres d'Arles as well as a JGS commission by the Aperture Foundation. Additionally, he is the 2004 recipient of the Infinity Award from the International Center for Photography in New York and the 2003 recipient of the Olivier Rebbot Award for Best International Reporting from the Foreign Press Club for America.
Norfolk's work is in numerous collections, including The British Council Collection; The Hayward Gallery, London; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Portland Art Museum; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and many more.
Funding for this exhibition has been provided by a consortium of campus resources including the Office of the Provost, Deans of the School of the Arts and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Departments of Political Science and Studio Art, the Global Awareness Committee, and the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston.
Norfolk will give a lecture in the Physicians Auditorium on campus at the College of Charleston on Feb. 16 at 7pm. These events are free, with the public encouraged to attend.
For more information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings, contact the gallery at 843/953-5680 or at (www.halsey.cofc.edu).
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