Abstraction, portraiture, installation, architecture, AI and the fusion of art and science. These are just some of the key ideas that have shaped the art world in 2024. Throughout the year, Aesthetica Magazine‘s journalism has dug into the big topics that are shaping the creative industries today, and spoken to those driving innovation forward – including Shigeru Ban, Tyler Mitchell and Mackenzie Calle. Here, we look back at the themes that have dominated our pages over the past twelve months.
Abstraction
The landscape of contemporary abstraction is growing at pace. This year, we tapped into the growing popularity of cameraless and other experimental photographic techniques. It’s a trend that has emerged despite of – or even due to – the rise of digital post-production tools and AI. We spotlighted several creatives using paper cut-outs to build images, like Jessica Backhaus and Popel Coumou. Backhaus launched the monograph Plein Soleil with Kehrer Verlag, whilst Coumou showcased a range of works at Paris Photo. There are also artists who drench the printed page in colour, including contributions from Daniela Droz, onoko, Luc Holper and Marta Djourina.
The Changing Face of Architecture
In architecture, our features took readers on a journey through time: from the 1960s to the present. We started with the book California Houses (Thames & Hudson), which looked at the concept of “California cool” and how the goalposts for design are changing in an increasingly climate-conscious world. We spoke with Shigeru Ban, the Pritzker Prize-winner whose with paper tube structures are saving lives, as well as Thomas Heatherwick, the leading UK designer dedicated to hands-on, multidisciplinary making. Finally, coverage of Living in a Dream, another key title from Gestalten, transported us into the future, bringing wild and impossible design ideas to life through digital technologies.
Art Meets Science
Art and science are, and have always been, closely interconnected. In 2024, we foregrounded research-based contemporary artists, like Laure Winants, who is using cameraless photographic methods to launch investigations into ice cores in the North Sea. Aesthetica Art Prize alumnus Mackenzie Calle, meanwhile, made waves this year – specifically with World Press Photo – with The Gay Space Agency, a landmark, multi-award-winning docu-fiction series dedicated to LGBTQIA+ representation at NASA. Ruth Wallen, as part of PST Art: Art & Science Collide, spoke to us about the threats posed to Joshua Trees as a result of the climate crisis: wildfires, rising sea levels and more.
Contemporary Portraiture
There are so many mays to make a portrait today. This year, we met with photographers like Tania Franco Klein, whose cinematic work has recently been acquired by the Museum of Modern Art, New York. We also published an in-depth feature on Tyler Mitchell, a groundbreaking artist bridging the worlds of fashion and fine art with his depictions of Black life. Wish This Was Real opened at C/O Berlin in June, with a concurrent solo show running at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. We saw Derrick Ofusu Boateng’s pictures burst with saturated colours; Djeneba Aduayom played with shape and tone to convey emotions, whilst Senay Berhe and Jonas Hafner took a mindful approach, led by narrative.
The Story of Installation Art
Every year, exhibitions push the boundaries of what can be achieved with light and sound. In 2024, Aesthetica highlighted key turning points in 20th century art, from Dan Flavin’s early adoption of fluorescent tubes to Anthony McCall and his totally new way of looking at cinema, which is celebrated in a major Tate retrospective until late April. These people paved the way for contemporary artists like Cao Fei, whose work is on view at Art Gallery of New South Wales. Cao combines all kinds of media in the gallery space: virtual reality, gaming and much more. The trajectory of light and sculpture was the focus of coverage of new book MirrorMirror (Thames & Hudson); Cerith Wyn Evans: Borrowed Light at Centre Pompidou Metz; and Hayward Gallery’s When Forms Come Alive.
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