Presence in Absence

A photography and moving image exhibition.

Preview: Thursday August 2nd 6.30pm
Exhibition: Friday August 3rd to Sunday 12th

Presence in Absence brings together a plethora of photographic approaches in an evocative exhibition, featuring the work of Mina Melsom, Anna Starr, Zara Sigglekow, Shelley Jacobson, Many Zhu and Sarah Hughes.

An individual’s search for freedom and a fluidity of self is described by sociologist Zygmunt Bauman as the 'Liquid Modern'; opposing the psychological drive for security and self-definition. Presence in Absence explores the tension between these ideas through photography and moving image. Flux is found in the distortion of memory, transient real and mythological places, and the construction of identity. Solidity manifests in architectural structures, the bonds of love, and marks of culture through the creation of art itself.

Contemporary photography's tendency to slip between genre and medium is evident in the selection of works by curator Zara Sigglekow. Topographical man-altered landscapes contrast with theatrical constructions executed in the studio. Photographs are altered through digital manipulation while others are overlaid with acrylic paint. Portraiture containing cinematic dynamism sits beside moving image embodying meditative stillness.

'Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.' - Walt Whitman