Known for their work with brands ranging from Rapha to Jo Malone, artist duo Luke & Nik (Luke Norman and Nik Adam) have announced the opening of two new exhibitions in the UK and Denmark that will run concurrently. Photofusion in London and Oblong in Copenhagen will be showing their latest project, Reconstructed Nature: The Collaborative Process, which brings together more than six years’ worth of work made across their respective countries.
With Norman based in Copenhagen and Adam in London, Reconstructed Nature was the result of each artist “venturing into their respective landscapes” to “comb, gather, reflect, and ramble”. Employing their trademark process-led photography, the pair have sought to offer new perspectives on the natural world and “present an awakening of senses deeply rooted in joy and curiosity set against the backdrop of ecological and relational loss.”
Through creating, altering and deconstructing their images, Norman and Adam present studies of nature that transcend traditional photographic compositions. Though often abstract in their final form, each artwork has its origins in the forests and lakes that surround the artists’ homes, and in which Norman and Adam spent much time between 2018 and the present day. Here, they chose to explore these landscapes “as monuments, stages, and metaphors”.
Across the series of images, we find negatives that have been spliced and taped back together in new compositions, or bordered with strokes of vibrant acrylic paint. Photomontage, collage and post-production manipulation further alter the original creation, offering surreal works that bear some semblance to the initial subject, yet open up new pathways for reflection and discussion.
Beyond the obvious themes of nature and ecology are also self-referential notions of creative union, with the body of work exploring “themes of collaboration and viewer hierarchy”, and the ways in which these can open up new dialogues too.
“Developing a show with Luke & Nik, which pieces together contemplative and joyful encounters with nature beyond the lens, has been a deeply nourishing process,” says curator Jessica Wan. “Experiential and visually idiosyncratic, the exhibition is an odyssey from personal reflections to imaginative expressions. I hope the versatile work included and the experimental workshop inspires and empowers audiences to engage with the natural world we rely on in new and meaningful ways.”
Reconstructed Nature: The Collaborative Process is at Photofusion, London until July 20, and at Oblong, Copenhagen from June 27 – August 3; lukeandnik.co.uk
