’The Border’ by Victoria Sambunaris, New York
Victoria Sambunaris (who photographed Frank Sinatra's house for us back in W*115) continues on her journey to produce thought-provoking photographs that document the geography of a changing American landscape. Her latest series: a study on the intersection between land and civilisation, 'The Border' series is the result of her two year 20,000 mile toil over the US-Mexican border area.
Driving and camping her way through terrain between Texas' Big Ben and San Diego, the rugged course led her to the geological delights of sites such as Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, and the 18-ft-high border fence which runs past border towns such as El Paso, Texas.
The places themselves are jaw-droppingly vast, and Sambunaris' treatment of this is skillfull, if not powerful - no mean feat, if you consider the all too real threat of grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, and other such questionable encounters.
This relentless pursuit of wanting to show the landscape for what it is, is Sambunaris' oevre, and one she does like no other. 'Borders', like her other work, doesn't look to carry a political message (despite what photographing border state landscapes would imply), but simply looks to create a neutral stance, and tries to resolve the question of how human development has reflected in the landscape.
Shot in film, the large-scale pieces (we are talking 39 x 55 inches of C-type prints here), are stirring and compelling, and a true consideration of the geographical and psychological barrier that the border carries.
ADDRESS
Yancey Richardson Gallery
535 West 22nd Street
3rd floor
New York
NY 10011
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
These ten albums had the best artwork of 2025A plethora of new releases this year look as good as they sound. Here are our favourites
-
Dib Bangkok, a new Thai cultural destination, celebrates rawness and local graceWith Dib Bangkok, Thailand’s first international contemporary art museum, Kulapat Yantrasast plays all the angles
-
Finnish Design Shop has unveiled an interiors collection inspired by the modernist art of Helene SchjerfbeckThe collection’s serene colour palettes and refined finishes draw directly from Schjerfbeck’s paintings, translating her Nordic modernist sensitivity into contemporary objects
-
Nadia Lee Cohen distils a distant American memory into an unflinching new photo book‘Holy Ohio’ documents the British photographer and filmmaker’s personal journey as she reconnects with distant family and her earliest American memories
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been a week of escapism: daydreams of Ghana sparked by lively local projects, glimpses of Tokyo on nostalgic film rolls, and a charming foray into the heart of Christmas as the festive season kicks off in earnest
-
Ed Ruscha’s foray into chocolate is sweet, smart and very AmericanArt and chocolate combine deliciously in ‘Made in California’, a project from the artist with andSons Chocolatiers
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
June Leaf’s New York survey captures a life in motionJune Leaf made art in many forms for over seven decades, with an unstoppable energy and fierce appetite leading her to rationalise life in her own terms.