A couple of weeks ago, I attended the opening of Lizzie Hollins 200 million & Counting at the Colour Factory Gallery. This exhibit consisted of one video projection and series of large square prints which were taken during her travels in Europe, from a bird’s eye view. Lizzie explored “the dynamic of the mass crowd, tourism, consumption, global attraction and narrative there within”. In spite of the distance at which the photos were taken, we could still see the details in the people’s clothing and see what they were doing at the time. As the ground where the people stood was quite homogenous, the viewer could imagine patterns in each image. The show runs until 30 April 2010.
On the same vein as documentary photography, I saw at the Monash Gallery of Art, Jon Lewis’ Kiribati: putting a face to climate change. There were 46 black and white prints in this series which were taken over the past 2 years at the Republic of Kiribati, situated in the Equatorial Pacific. Jon portrayed the people living on some of the 33 atolls engaging in various daily activities. It is said that the Republic of Kiribati will remain for another 30-40 years at the most, as it will eventually be submersed under water as a result of climate change. I was overwhelmed with the fact that these portraits showing the Kiribati people living their lives while practicing their traditions were probably not prepared for what will be irreversible.
On a less gloomy note, I had initially gone to the MGA to see Lyra's Status Anxiety exhibit. The glossy large and colourful prints were depicting a Stepford wife-like model in what seems like upside down domestic settings. The series was exploring the anxieties women may experienced when faced with society’s expectations. I enjoyed the humour in the project and the theatrical settings.