Updated Landscape

Guillaume Hebert

Jun 6, 2020 ~ Sep 9

M Art Center is honored to hold the third solo exhibition for French photographer, Guillaume Hebert. The exhibition presents two series of works, “Updated Landscape” in 2017 and “Beyond The Ordinary” in 2019. In this period of time, Hebert’s unique perspective and advanced discernment can hopefully arouse people’s reflection and resonance.

“Updated Landscape” – Cultural Gaze in Glimmering

“Updated Landscape” is mainly about the environmental issues since Hebert’s six years residency in Asia in 2012. The imageries are from Taipei, Shanghai and other cities in China. “Beyond the Ordinary” is created by Hebert when he moved back to Europe in 2018. Facing the impact and sadness of rapid environmental change and cultural collapse, these series took a year to complete in Berlin and Paris. These two series of works created between 2017 – 2019, as the theme of the exhibition.

Using the perspective of contemporary photography, “Updated Landscape” and “Beyond the Ordinary” combines the works of William Turner (1775-1851) ‘Avernue lake Aeneas and the Cumaei Sibylle’; William Marlow (1740-1813) ‘View of Matlock Bath’; and Cole Thomas (1801-1848) ‘The Course of Empire The Savage State’. Grasping painting and photography enables the audience to form a misperception at first sight.

Photography is just an extension of painting. The idyllic natural landscape in the picture forms a satirical contrast with the contemporary urban landscape. The naturally integrated picture reshapes our perception and aesthetics, and poetically depicts the tragedy of ecology and culture. The work constantly appeals and questions the audience – “Where are all these cultural heritages going?”

At this moment, the global press the pause button to start afresh, hoping that this exhibition will arouse everyone’s attention and cherish for the natural ecology and cultural environment.

Nien Lienhua
June. 2020

Notes: “Updated Landscape” won the 2018 ‘Public Prize’ at the Ciruclation(s) festival in Europe and voted as the favorite artist by the audiences. The large scale work was installed in the City Government metro station and the Luxembourg metro station in Paris. The series also won the ‘Best Recommended Work” in the opening night of the 49th Arles Photography Festival in 2018. “Fisheye”, the avent-garde photography magazine in Paris, selected “Updated Landscape” as the representative works in 2018. 

French Publisher, Corridor Elephant publishes “IN A LANDSCAPE” in three different languages (English, French and Mandarin), which is a limited edition of the commemorative artist book signed by Guillaume Hebert.