The Road to Elysium

HEIST journeys with you to a post-apocalyptic world where life is magnificent. Like most journeys you take it wasn’t always easy but we have arrived. The exhibition will commence on 13 November 2014.

‘“In no fix'd place the happy souls reside. In groves we live, and lie on mossy beds, By crystal streams, that murmur thro' the meads: But pass yon easy hill, and thence descend; The path conducts you to your journey's end.” This said, he led them up the mountain's brow, And shews them all the shining fields below. They wind the hill, and thro' the blissful meadows go.’ — Virgil, Aeneid (6.641).

The Road to Elysium will be HEIST’s second exhibition with Gallery Director Tyrone Wood. The exhibition is specifically focusing on pieces that encompass variations upon the idea of utopia. Many of the pieces tackle social and political issues whilst others evoke strong ethereal aesthetic qualities.  The show will feature works from some of the world’s finest and most innovative fine art photographers including AES+F, Richard Mosse, Amanda Charchian, Laurent Badessi, Kim Keever, Aaron Hobson, Madame Peripetie, and Liu Ren.

“With this exhibition we aim to use striking photography and immersive installations to take visitors on a dreamlike journey and transport them to a utopian world, rejecting the violence, conflict and injustices of our own. We at HEIST are dedicated to exhibiting the works of ambitious photographers who continually push the boundaries and all the pieces on display are true to this cause.” – HEIST Founder, Mashael Al Rushaid.

The exhibition’s centrepiece will be AES+F’s three metre high and six metre long piece, Jungle Elegy. AES+F, a Russian photography group, have gained recognition for pioneering a new method of fine-art photography that they have termed animated sculpture. AES+F combine photography with video art and animation to create striking images that push the boundaries of what photography can achieve – both aesthetically and thematically. Their pieces have been exhibited in museums worldwide, including in Australia, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, South Korea, Switzerland, Russia, UK and USA.

Located in a residential property in Notting Hill, HEIST’s offline space offers an immersive art experience for fine art photography lovers. The space combines photography and performance art to create an unforgettable, experiential engagement with the artworks.