Cage, forêt et soleil noir, 1927, oil with grattage on canvas. Image courtesy of Christie's.
A century of dreams, desires, and the unconscious—Surrealist landscapes continue to shift, dissolve, and reappear in new forms.
Marking the centenary of the Surrealist Manifesto, “Forbidden Territories” at The Hepworth Wakefield traces how artists have transformed landscapes into psychological spaces, fusing the bodily with the botanical and channeling political anxieties and gender constraints. Swiss artist Nicolas Party’s vivid pastel mural of a dreamlike forest sets the stage for Max Ernst’s haunting “Cage, Forest and Black Sun” (1927), a work that embodies his fascination with the subconscious and the untamed forces of nature. Alongside Ernst, the exhibition features Salvador Dalí, Lee Miller, Leonora Carrington, and contemporary artists like María Berrío, revealing how Surrealist ideas continue to evolve.