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The Arts Intel Report

Among the Trees

Aug 1 – Oct 31, 2020
Southbank Centre, 337-338 Belvedere Rd, South Bank, London SE1 8XX, UK

“Perhaps you are now a full-grown wood / with winds and voices in its leaves,” writes Rainer Maria Rilke in his poem Requiem. Inspiration and imagery—trees give freely of both. Stoic and abiding, their branches lacy and tangled, their designs diverse, and their leaves, roots, and blooms full of meaning, trees have been a point of fascination for generations of artists in all mediums. This exhibition examines art from different creators over the past 50 years, including works such as Eva Jospin’s Forêt Palatine (2019-20)—amazingly made of cardboard—and Giuseppe Penone’s Tree of 12 Metres (1980-82). —E.C.

Eva Jospin, Forêt Palatine, 2019-2020. Courtesy of Hayward Gallery. Photo: Linda Nylind.