Profound Compositions

Profound Compositions

Visual artist Alec Von Bargen is part of the 2019 Aesthetica Art Prize shortlist. The series Under the Blue Skies of Agok captures profoundly intimate moments of displaced peoples in South Sudan. Part of a larger body of work titled So.lil.o.quy, now available as a publication from Pacific, the works chronicle Von Bargen’s experiences visiting over 23 MSF missions worldwide.

The artist notes: “I am a social anthropologist of sorts, capturing aesthetic instances that resonate with their historical, political and social contexts. People and nomads in Agok deal with health care exclusion, endemic / epidemic disease, famine and armed conflict. At nights, victims and patients, sleeping in makeshift clinics, dream under the synthetic blue skies of mosquito netting.”

The images are on view as part of the Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition 2019, opening at York Art Gallery from 8 March-14 July. Find out more here.

Images courtesy the artist.