Sunday 11 October 2015

Decisive Moment at Contact Sheet

A great collection of images and text on the theme of the decisive moment. Historical, current revealing not just the content of the image but the motivations and process of the photographers, the intention and the random seen with intent. Curated by Paul MacDonald and Sandy Edwards there is a lot to look at and a lot to think about including many, many kinds of decisive moment. Some the classic interpretation, others the moment they clicked as photographers, another the moment he realised a photo had merit and many more. A treat. http://contactsheet.com.au

Justine Varga :: Bill Henson :: Sydney Contemporary

A bit of a delayed reaction but working on the weekend upsets the rhythm. Not complaining. 

A month ago I went to Sydney Contemporary and found it overall a much more interesting experience than previous years. Lots of good painting and interesting installation but coming back to photography I found two artists who are very different really help focus in on what I like in photography. When asked I usually find the answer has to do with simplicity and emotional resonance. This could be reportage, street photography or an intensely glamorous portrait. I admire a lot of heavily worked images, illustrations of a concept in the artists mind, from a rough collage to a polished where does reality end kind of image but they don't really excite me. The more it's cut back the more I like it like a polaroid that seized a unique moment in a unique example. Nothing wrong with multiples though.

In this exhibition two artists struck me. Bill Henson who's work I knew and Justine Varga who's work I didn't. Justine makes cameraless images. Have a look