PHOTOGRAPHY MEETS FEMINISM: Australian women photographers 1970s–80s

Kitty’s shoes on couch, Still life (1988) - Janina Green

I had the chance to see this show last week at the Monash Gallery of Art.  Great overview of the works of various Australian women photographers whose works I had yet to discover such as those of Helen Grace, Ponch Hawkes, & Robyn Stacey to name a few. I noted several hand coloured silver gelatin prints throughout the exhibition. One of my VCA teachers, Janina Green, had a series of still life photographs which beautifully depicted the craft of hand colouring. The image shown above resonated with me: I saw fragility and delicateness in it. 

Janina Green 'Be Home Before Dark' at the Colour Factory

Analogue photography is alive and well. Proof may be found in Janina Green’s latest series ’Be Home Before Dark’, currently showing at the Colour Factory. I attended the opening: Janina Green is one of my VCA teachers/tutors. The images were taken in Gippsland where she grew up. The series represents some of the artist’s feelings ‘of fear and dread' associated with arresting landscape images. I liked the fact that the large prints were unframed, borderless, and stuck directly on the the walls with velcro. The images were shot on film, hand printed, and hand toned by the artist. For this exhibition, two kinds of blue paint was used on the walls. The resulting effect accentuated the blue tones in the prints and also worked well with the heavy black tones. I admired the craftsmanship involved in the series. Green effectively conveys a personal experience in a minimalist manner.