The painting by the German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818), has become a symbol of the modern stance: a solitary man, positioned at the center of the composition, facing a vast terrestrial expanse that seems without limit. This figure embodies the primacy of the gaze and establishes the ideology of modernity as synonymous with conquest and mastery. Elina Brotherus revisits this archetype, ultimately overturning its premise. Through her images, she traverses the Burgundy region and immerses herself in a landscape that shifts from mere backdrop to living environment. Facing us, she challenges us with her gaze. Clinging to a tree, she tries to resist the tipping horizon. The reversal has occurred, but too late: the forest appears to be slipping away irresistibly.
The figure of Caspar David Friedrich also appears in the work of Shen Chao-Liang. Sheltered from the rain at a roadside bend, he looks out over his foggy, polluted concrete realm, leaving behind a nature that has been caged. In a twilight atmosphere, the photographer invites us on a nostalgic stroll where energy-hungry modernity has weakened the world.