ANNOUNCEMENT
On The Land An Oak Will Grow
EDITION VII SERIES AWARD WINNERS
EDITION VII SERIES AWARD WINNER
WOIDE & FAIRFAX-WOODS
We’re delighted to announce Henry Woide & Vanessa Fairfax-Woods as the winners of our Edition VII Series Award with their series On The Land An Oak Will Grow, judged by Muriel Mager, Founder and Director of Contour Gallery in Rotterdam.
Seeking to push the boundaries of their usual solo work, Woide and Fairfax-Woods created performances in nature, distorting the natural world around them into an imaginary realm. It is meant as an escape from the reality of the modern world – the pace, politics, consumerism – and its emphasis on the surface which can be wearing. An invitation into a new, eerily beautiful and endlessly fascinating place.
The interaction between the two artists makes for a new and refreshing view on the medium photography, creating space for a different vision of what photography can be. What is usually static becomes more fluid, more playful. To me as a gallerist and curator, I enjoy the fact that each artist comes from a different medium – Woide a landscape and architectural photographer, and Fairfax-Woods a conceptual and performative photographer – as it adds value and weight to the storyline they create. Their images feel specific, a bit eerie and open to interpretation from multiple angles. I look forward to seeing more creativity and the merging of genres and mediums as it appears they are.
Muriel Mager
“Effigies, deities, and creatures that live in the woods: these are all part of the mysterious dual worlds that are created in On The Land An Oak Will Grow. Inspired by ancient English folklore, we set about creating tour own modern myths and legends. The work spans imaginary timelines in imaginary worlds, shining lights on the narratives that we choose for ourselves. This has been approached with a sense of humour and ethereal beauty, enticing with the viewer to look closer. Even though an eeriness pervades throughout the series, there is the allure (perhaps of a siren) inviting you to step inside and explore these unknown territories – inviting you to shed these modern-day shackles and enter a world with different powers at play. The worlds created are fluid; free from time, age and a linear narrative. We seek to create a chance to reflect on the real world verses the world into the which the viewer is temporarily transported.” Henry Woide & Vanessa Fairfax-Woods
On The Land An Oak Will Grow will be exhibited at Contour Gallery in Rotterdam 1 – 29 April 2022.
www.contour.gallery | www.vanessafairfaxwoods.com | www.henrywoide.co.uk
