Over three million visitors across 40 countries and five continents have already journeyed inside an Architect’s of Air structure.
Internationally renowned sculpture set to arrive in Accrington
Metamorphosis: Innovation in Eco Photography & Film
Metamorphosis: Innovation in Eco Photography & Film
24th May, 2024 to 28th July, 2024
Saatchi Gallery
Duke of York’s HQ
King’s Rd
Chelsea
London SW3 4RY
Running from 24th May to 28th July 2024, Metamorphosis: Innovation in Eco Photography & Film at Saatchi Gallery is an exhibition showcasing the work of four award-winning photographers and filmmakers who are breaking ground in their practices of eco-conscious photography and film.
Almudena Romero, Edd Carr, Hannah Fletcher and Scott Hunter were each selected on the strength of their innovative and unconventional approaches and early critical acclaim as emerging artists.
Installation Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery
Metamorphosis: Innovation in Eco Photography & Film elevates Pasqua Wines’ longstanding commitment to provide international platforms for the arts. Since 2018, the company has invested approximately 5.1 million euros in collaborations with artists and arts patronage programmes.
To date, the winery has realised over 20 collaborations with creators and multi-media artists such as the site-specific art installation Onirica (), with art studio fuse*, in which an AI-created experiential dream map was revealed to coincide with Vinitaly wine fair last month, and then gifted to the city of Verona as part of its Sips of Art programme.
Installation Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery
Pasqua Wines’ engagement with Metamorphosis reflects the inherent creativity and innovation of the brand which, ahead of its centennial year in 2025, was awarded the coveted “Innovator of the Year” Award by Wine Enthusiast Magazine for a series of remarkable evolutions in the wine industry. The award recognized Pasqua’s longstanding investment in experimentation and as a “laboratory of research” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and is the result of three generations of stewardship by the Pasqua family.
Riccardo Pasqua, CEO, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Saatchi Gallery to prompt this show, underscoring our cross-generational commitment to innovation, creativity and unconventional approaches. Each of the four emerging “eco-artists” participating in Metamorphosis demonstrate what we have always believed to be true – that through experimentation and pushing boundaries we can unlock progress.
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“This international collaboration builds on Pasqua’s strong heritage of arts patronage, its commitment to making art accessible to the public and its unique belief that innovation is born from a profound, appreciative knowledge of history and tradition. We believe that creativity needs to be cultivated with love and care, just like the land.
“Pasqua Wines has spent almost a century creatively innovating the future of wine production and unlocking eco-consciousness and making impact continues to be vital. We couldn’t be more delighted with this pairing.”
Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery
Majestic Wine, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, stocks both Pasqua’s ’11 Minutes’ rosé and ‘Y by 11 Minutes’ rosé. The 2023 new vintage of 11 Minutes will be available to purchase from June. A total of 16 Pasqua wines are now sold at the award-winning wine retailer across its network of 209 stores in the UK and Jersey, as well as online.
Those interested in discovering more about Pasqua Wines can also visit Jeroboams for a free in-store tasting session celebrating their partnership with Saatchi Gallery. Tastings will be held in Jeroboams’ King’s Road store from 5pm – 8pm on the 4th June and 6th June.
Metamorphosis: Innovation in Eco Photography & Film opens on the 24th of May, 2024 until to 28th July, 2024 at Saatchi Gallery
©2024 Saatchi Gallery
Art Plugged is a contemporary platform inspired by a relationship with the broader arts communities. We provide our audience with curated insight into the world of art, from exhibitions to artist interviews and more.
‘Hi B—h. Remember Me?’: Viral Sensation Turned Supermodel Calls Out Racist Zara Photographer for Calling Her a ‘Cockroach’ During Photo Shoot
A boycott against fashion company Zara is gaining support on social media after South Sudanese supermodel Anok Yai exposed the retailer’s lack of response to the racism she faced at a photo shoot.
The 26-year-old trailblazing beauty said she worked with the brand in 2019, just two years after she was discovered. Yai was dubbed Vogue’s “model of the moment” after a photo of her attending Howard University’s homecoming went viral in 2017.
At the time, she was a biochemistry student at Plymouth State University. Soon after winning over millions online, she was signed to the Next Management agency and has continued to prove she is the industry’s it girl by being placed on magazine covers, and opening a Prada fashion show — a feat that only one other Black supermodel, Naomi Campbell, has done.
But in the since-deleted tread of tweets, which began with her replying to a Zara post with “Hi b—ch. Remember me?” Yai said she was “called a cockroach by a photographer.” She said there was a language barrier, but that did not prevent her from detecting a sense of ridicule from those on set.
“I remember in 2019 being called a cockroach by a photographer,” Yai said in her May 20 tweets. “It was from this brand that I used to always work with. I didn’t speak their language and they didn’t speak mine but regardless we were on set shooting look after look after look. (there were days I shot 60+ looks).”
On the second-to-last day of shooting, she recalled being powdered by a makeup artist when the photographer put down his camera and yelled, “‘Lotion la cucaracha.’ Everyone on set starts smiling and laughing.”
Supermodel Anok Yai shares heartbreaking racist incident in 2019 while working with Zara pic.twitter.com/IlP3H2R8v9
— Kambili Magazine (@KambiliMagazine) May 20, 2024
“I can’t react the way I want to react because at the end of the day, I’m young, I’m alone, I’m black … anything that I do will affect me, my family, and other black models,” she wrote, providing context as to why she withheld her reaction in the moment. Instead, she refused to go to set the following day until the photographer was removed.
After learning of the incident, a member of Zara’s team purportedly told her, “We don’t accept that type of behavior, we’ll fire him now. Tell me who he is and we’ll get rid of him.” However, when she arrived on set, “he walks by me and smiles.”
Yai said she was pulled aside by a separate team member and told, “I asked the team what happened and they said you made it up. Honestly, whenever you come here, you’re never smiling and you’e never happy to be here.” Through tears, the model explained to the staffer that she was not lying, but her words made no difference. In the end she demanded to be paid her full rate and taken to the airport.
“I remember wanting to come out with the story to magazines, but I was told, ‘Think about what it will do to your career.’ That was my first (and not only) time being blacklisted. I’m sure they thought I wasn’t strong enough to stand.” Her supporters have come out against the upscale, fast-fashion merchant, saying, “Boycott Zara.”
Anok Yai x Met Gala ✨ #MetGala2024 pic.twitter.com/3fT8akwWvS
— IG: @darkskinwomen (@darkskinwomen_) May 7, 2024
When her story was reshared on Instagram, one comment read, “Name him and we will make sure he is cancelled!” A second reaction stated, “This is what I mean when I say these brands like to ‘look’ diverse but are actually the most racists behind cameras. It’s heartbreaking that there are still people with this mentality.” While a third Yai fan commented, “and now she at the met gala big L for Zara.”
The Coruña, Spain-founded company has not issued a statement in response to the story. A week before exposing Zara, Anok Yai captivated photographers and onlookers when she donned a blue and brown ombre full-body jumpsuit covered in 98,000 Swarovski gems to the 2024 Met Gala.
Her look has been listed as one of the most memorable of the night, which also included Hollywood A-listers.
Photography safaris now on offer in the Masai Mara
JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge and Canon have teamed up to make getaways in the reserve even more memorable with the introduction of photography safaris.
Guests of the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge won’t only be treated to luxury digs in the heart of the world-renowned reserve in Kenya, they now have the opportunity to dive into the world of photography with professional gear, expert photographers and guides on safari.
In partnership with the lodge, Canon has sponsored a Mirrorless EOS RS 6 Mark II camera as well as top-notch lenses such as RF 100 – 500mm and RF 24 – 70mm for seasoned shooters and aspiring wildlife photographers searching for the opportunity to explore the Mara’s stunning landscapes behind the lens.
Experienced guides and photographers on board amplify the new activity offering. The lodge’s professional photographers, Kennedy Amungo and Moses Letura, wielding top-notch Canon gear, will show guests the ropes of soaking up a spellbinding photography safari in the Mara.
The Lodge will offer a number of photo-centric activities, such as guided game drives led by Kennedy and Moses where guests will learn how to get the most out of their gear while making memories in the Mara.
The creative initiative introduced by the lodge adds a unique dimension to its luxury offerings, and caters to a growing interest in photography as an integral part of the travel experience.
Image: Instagram / @jwmasaimara
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Grizzly 399, The Most Famous Bear In The World, Gets Her Own 8-Foot Bronze Statue
An 8-foot-tall statue of Grizzly 399 with the four cubs she raised in 2020 was dedicated Saturday at its new home at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois. The bronze on the statue reads, “Queen of the Rockies.”
‘Pride and Protest’ is the June exhibition at the Center for Photography at Woodstock in Kingston
KINGSTON, N.Y. — The June exhibition at the Center for Photography at Woodstock’s new home in Kingston celebrates Pride Month with iconic images of the LGBTQ+ community taken by Fred W. McDarrah.
“This exhibition represents a view of queer cultural life and the LGBTQ rights movement in New York City, from the period before the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, continuing through activist protests around the AIDS crisis in the 1980s,” the Center, at 474 Broadway in Kingston says on its website.
One photo featured in the exhibition from June 29, 1975, shows two mothers marching at the Sixth Annual Gay Liberation Day March in New York City carrying signs that were revolutionary at the time. One read, “I love my gay son!” and the other, “I will not be a Closet Mother.” That and many other images in the exhibition document the start of movements like PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and ACT UP — the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.
Readers who remember the Village Voice in the late 1960s or who followed the gay rights movement through the decades might recognize one particular image in the show, Vince Aletti, who curated the exhibit, said in a phone interview. “The most famous picture of Stonewall that he took the day after that riot of a number of gay men and women standing on a stoop right next to the Stonewall Inn — a number of people who were involved in the rebellion there. … It’s the most reproduced picture of that moment. … and has become a kind of historic image.”
The show includes a portrait of Larry Kramer, who founded ACT UP in 1987. It also features portraits of renowned poets Frank O’Hara and W.H. Auden, and pictures of protests, marches and key figures in the gay rights movement “in all its contentious and celebratory public display,” the site says.
Also featured are portraits of James Baldwin, John Cage, Jackie Curtis, Allen Ginsberg, Jewell Gomez, Christopher Isherwood, Jed Johnson, Jill Johnson, Marsha P. Johnson, Charles Ludlum, Joan Nestle, Frank O’Hara, Susan Sontag, Larry Rivers, James Slattery (aka Candy Darling), Tennessee Williams, Andy Warhol and others.
These shots and most others in the exhibition were all published in The Village Voice. McDarrah, who died in 2007 at the age of 81, was the first picture editor and staff photographer for the alternative weekly newspaper and worked there until he died.
Coinciding with the advent of LGBTQ+ Pride month, Pride and Protest is curated by Aletti, a photography critic and author, from the Fred W. McDarrah Archive held by MUUS Collection. Aletti said the work was first presented by the MUUS Collection at Paris Photo in November 2023. After it leaves Kingston, McDarrah’s work will travel to the New York Historical Society where an exhibition is planned for January 2025.
“It looked great in Paris and I’m hoping it looks equally good at the Woodstock space,” Aletti said.
The exhibition is accompanied by a newsprint publication with a text by Aletti.
“By the time I met Fred W. McDarrah in the mid-1980s, he was already a well-established New York character: blustery, opinionated, entertaining, loud — sometimes brusque but never mean-spirited,” Aletti wrote in the show catalog.
Aletti, 78, said that McDarrah was “one of the very few survivors of the original Village Voice (founded in 1955), first as the only staff photographer, later as the photo editor.”
He said McDarrah was “legendary, but far from ready to fade into history. He clearly loved the pressure and excitement of getting out a weekly paper, kibbitzing with the photo editors who succeeded him, delivering just the right vintage print from his archives.”
Aletti said he worked with McDarrah at the Voice and that he was “a great character and one of sort of the backbones of the paper.”
Aletti said that as an editor at the paper, he often looked for reasons to reprint McDarrah’s photos “of Beat and bohemian Greenwich Village in the 1950s and ‘60s.”
The exhibition’s “focus is Fred McDarrah’s work with all sorts of gay-related material, mostly the largest part of the group are images of demonstrations and parades that he did over the years, starting with pretty much the first parade after Stonewall. They’re very busy pictures. There’s lots of people in them, there’s people and banners … I decided to do that as a strip through the center of the space at, sort of, eye level. You really need to be able to spend some time with them,” Aletti said.
The show opened Saturday and will be on exhibit through Sept. 1. The gallery, at 474 Broadway in Kingston, is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.
Photos: ‘Pride and Protest’ exhibit by Fred W. McDarrah goes up at Center for Photography at Woodstock
‘Pride and Protest’ exhibit by Fred W. McDarrah goes up at Center for Photography at Woodstock
Young lady balances photography job with university degree, achieves first-class in Engineering
- A young Nigerian lady celebrated achieving a first-class degree in Electrical Engineering, despite balancing her studies with a career in photography
- In the video, the woman, moved to tears, shared poignant memories of her struggles as an undergraduate.
- Jubilee graduated from the University of Benin and documented moments of her intense exam preparation
A young Nigerian lady proudly celebrated her first-class degree in Electrical Engineering, which she achieved while working as a photographer to make ends meet.
In an emotional video, she tearfully showed the challenges she faced during her university years.
Source: TikTok
Afamefune N. Jubilee, a University of Benin graduate, documented her intense study sessions before her exams.
In her words, as shared by @jb_afam, she said:
“Six years of late nights, early mornings, sacrifices, tears, happiness, dedication & learning and it finally paid off. Congratulations Engr. Afamefune .N. Jubilee, First Class Honours in Electrical/Electronic Engineering,University of Benin, Class of 2022. I am proud of you!”
Watch the video below:
Legit.ng compiled some of the reactions below:
Shalom said:
“I don’t know you but congratulations.”
Nini_boo wrote:
“Omoooo congratulations engineering is a whole different struggle especially as a lady…I tap into this ijn.”
Mowarin8 commented:
“Aww. I’m currently a photographer studying civil engineering too. More Grace.”
Kosiso Deborah:
“Congratulations, don’t know but I’m SUPER proud of you and you’re so beautiful.”
Farida:
“Kudos! First class, elect/elect engr here, I can relate. Congratulations.”
Nana.yaw.sty:
“Everything being through is going to be Joy and Celebration. God bless you.”
Lady graduates with first class
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a Nigerian lady, having recently completed her studies, revealed that she had achieved a first-class honours degree from the Law Department.
The law alumna commemorated her scholarly success with a photo shoot in her graduation robe and by crafting a celebratory cake.
In addition to her remarkable first-class diploma, she received recognition as an outstanding student council member, capturing the instant she accepted the accolade.
In a recent development, Legit.ng also reported that Sarah Medugu, Nigerian lady who pursued her passion for International Relations at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) shared a TikTok video to celebrate her remarkable academic achievement.
Source: Legit.ng
PHOTO: Duke commit Khaman Maluach shows off photography skills at K Academy
Five-star center Khaman Maluach added to the impressive Duke recruiting class of 2024 when he committed to the program in April. He was part of the NBA Academy Africa and currently plays for the City Oilers in the Basketball Africa League.
The Blue Devils’ Instagram account posted a picture of Maluach settling into the campus and taking pictures with his camera during a basketball game at the K Academy.
The story was captioned as follows:
“Khaman_maluach capturing K Academy content.”
Khaman Maluach welcomed enthusiastically by Duke
Khaman Maluach was one of the most heavily recruited prospects in the class of 2024. According to ESPN, he was rated a five-star prospect out of the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal after taking up the game full-time in 2020.
In 2023, he was the Basketball Without Borders defensive MVP putting several basketball programs on notice with his talents.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer was full of praise for Maluach when he announced his commitment to the Blue Devils. The Duke coach highlighted the aspects that made the center such a special talent.
“I am really excited to welcome Khaman Maluach to Duke. Joining us from South Sudan and NBA Academy Africa, Khaman brings an incredible perspective and unique talents to our program,” Scheyer said.
“At 7’2, Khaman can score inside and out, handle the ball, and protect the rim at a high level. His vocal leadership, the energy and enthusiasm that he plays with, and his commitment to winning above individual statistics stood out to me when watching him throughout the recruiting process.”
The Duke Blue Devils will lose core players to the NBA Draft including Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski. Khaman Maluach will have to step up to fill the void.
Luckily for Duke, Maluach will join an elite recruiting class that includes Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 player in the country according to ESPN, Patrick Ngongba II, Darren Harris, Isaiah Evans, and Kon Knueppel.
Jon Scheyer could not hide his eagerness to get to work with the Sudanese center after the Olympics.
“We are anxious to get to work with Khaman after he competes in the Olympics this summer with (former Duke player) Luol Deng and the South Sudanese National Team,” Scheyer said.
There is always pressure on Duke to be among the contenders for the national championship and the class of 2024 has its task cut out.
What could Alabama basketball’s 2024-25 starting lineup look like? Find out here
Are You Making These Composition Mistakes in Your Own Photography? |
Do you find yourself always leaning heavily on certain composition tricks that you learned as you were developing your photographic skills? Sure, they might make your more mediocre shots a little better, but casting off these creative crutches can be the first step towards making great photographs.
Being inspired by the work of other photographers and striving to emulate it in our own work is a natural part of the artistic development of a photographer. As it is in the other arts too, most of us learn by copying before we are able to attain some degree of artistic maturity and start to find our own voice.
In this age of social media, there is (for better or for worse) no shortage of other voices showing us how photography should be done. Photographers share their tips for creating beautiful, flattering portraits using longer focal lengths with wide apertures to create a shallow depth of field. Their subjects pop against a sea of dreamy bokeh, and we are suitably wowed. So this is how it’s done!
And we know that this is how it should be done because the people showing us the way have thousands of YouTube followers, and thousands of YouTube followers can’t be wrong. Right?
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with this advice per se. Shooting at wide apertures to better separate your subject from the background is a well-established approach to portrait photography. The problem with following this advice only starts when it becomes something that you automatically do whenever you’re shooting portraits—like this is somehow the only way to shoot portraits.
In this excellent and thoughtful video, Jamie Windsor discusses how easy it can be to find yourself relying heavily on these “established” approaches to photography, to the point that they can blind you to other, possibly more creative, possibilities. Jamie offers some great examples from the work of photographers who have bucked photographic convention in order to produce images that truly stand apart from the crowd.
The examples that Jamie shares are a masterclass in the use of deep focus in which the entire scene is pretty much in focus—the result of using narrower apertures and wider angle lenses. Rather than relying on the separation of the subject from the background to make the image work, a set of different compositional approaches are discussed including visual layering, geometry, and the use of color and shadow.
In photography, as in skinning cats, there’s always more than one way to do it. In failing to be as mindful and engaged in our endeavor as we could be when we’re composing a scene, we risk ending up with an okay image simply because we missed the chance to make a great image.
