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| ACP Beyond Real Exhibition |
 Beyond Real Photography Exhibition
PART 1 DRESSING UP 7 October - 12 November Tue - Sun: 11.00am - 6.00pm Galleries One, Two and Foyer EXHIBITION FORMALLY OPENED BY RUPERT MYER Curated by Alasdair Foster PETER BURKE, RAY COOK, BERNARD FAUCON, MARCUS LEATHERDALE, GEORGE PLATT LYNES, CHRISTOPHER MAKOS, RALPH EUGENE MEATYARD, POLIXENI PAPAPETROU, MAN RAY, LUKE ROBERTS, LUCAS SAMARAS, CINDY SHERMAN Surrealist mannequins, mythological heroes, a transgender Andy Warhol and an extraterrestrial Pope. These are just some of the cast of characters assembling in this, the first of a two-part exhibition exploring artifice and theatricality in photomedia across the past century. Bringing together work by contemporary Australian practitioners with that of acclaimed international artists from Man Ray to Cindy Sherman, the exhibition addresses the interface between fantasy and identity. While we often think of photographs as a document of the real, early approaches to the medium were far more overtly constructed. Since the experimental beginnings of photography, the practice of staging images for the camera has passed in and out of popular currency and through a variety of styles and preoccupations. Examples of photomedia tableaux can be found not only in art photography but also in the spheres of fashion, editorial and advertising. Indeed every time we pose in front of a camera, projecting a heightened sense of ourselves in relation to the place and the people surrounding us, we participate in the creation of a kind of impromptu tableau. In part one of Beyond Real, curator Alasdair Foster has selected work by artists who push this notion further, deliberately using props, costume and performance to suggest archetypes or explore identities beyond the realms of the everyday. Beyond Real: Dressing Up is an exhibition through which to explore the strange and unsettling, from George Platt Lynes' camp, anguished evocations of classical myth and legend, the sinister and grisly potential suggested by Cindy Sherman's self-portraits to the culture-jamming appearances of Australia's own Shelly Innocence™. Far from playing the role of cool mediator of reality, these are artists actively and intensely involved in the construction of their images. THIS EXHIBITION IS PRESENTED UNDER A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA. |
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About Australian Centre for Photography (ACP)
Established in 1973, the ACP opened the doors of its first gallery in Paddington
Street, in 1974. In 1981 the Centre moved to Oxford Street where it remains today.
It is now Australia's longest running contemporary art space.
It is the ACP's mission to promote and enrich the understanding of photo-based art
in Australia and this is achieved through a dynamic mix of exhibition, education and
publication. In its blend of activities and range of photographic media, the Centre
is unique in Australia.
ACP opened a Workshop in 1976. Originally in a separate building, this is now housed
within the Centre in Oxford Street and includes black and white and colour darkroom
facilities, a digital suite, lighting studio and library. In 1983 ACP launched the
journal Photofile. It is now the leading photo-based art magazine in Australia,
available through newsagents and specialist bookshops nationally.
Currently located in the heart of Paddington, Sydney's gallery district, ACP houses
two exhibition spaces; a foyer display area and a Project Wall for emerging artists;
an extensive workshop with comprehensive curriculum and public access facilities; a
specialist bookshop and library.
The ACP is a not-for-profit organisation supported by the NSW Government through the
NSW Ministry for the Arts, the Australia Council, the Australian Government's arts
funding and advisory body, and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of
the Australian, State and Territory Governments. The ACP raises over half of its
revenue from non-government sources.
