10/04/2010 /  by Claudia Phares


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.

30/03/2010 /  by Claudia Phares


Last Thursday, I’ve attended in Carlton North a one-night-only site-specific exhibition, Holes in the Wall, curated by Theresa Harrison. The concept was interesting as they emptied a home of its inhabitants and 12 artists were invited to exhibit their works using the domestic space. The viewers were then able to look at the installations and displays of various art forms through the house windows.  This project was original as it explored the notion of voyeurism in an artistic manner. There were still a lot people there when I arrived; standing all around the house itself and onto the sidewalk. I had the chance to see Shay Minster’s Slow Dance installation for a second time, which I saw when it was first shown at theWest Space gallery. I also discovered Linsey Gosper, a photographic artist, who displayed a wall-size print, entitled Gothic Mime, a self-portrait from her collection of role-play femmes fatales.   

A friend of mine who is a collector of graphic novels, lent me the 3 volumes of the series Le photographe. This graphic novel documents the journey of French photojournalist Didier Lefèbre, co-author, during his travels with Médecins Sans Frontières in Afghanistan in 1986. There are illustrations from Emmanuel Guibert, as well as black and white photographs all taken by Didier. I quite enjoyed reading the series as it gave me a glimpse of the hardship involved in setting up a clinic in a war torn country, a journey well photographed by Didier. Some of the images are not for the faint at heart.  After reading the series, I rekindled with my appreciation of black-and-white photography and photojournalism. As for Didier, he had travelled around the world, where he followed MSF. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2007.

21/03/2010 /  by Claudia Phares

My talk on Thursday evening at the Guildford Lane Gallery went well, and the experience was less frightful than I had anticipated it. There were 3 other artists who also gave talks. We were a small group which made it easier to feel comfortable. I was impressed with the talk of Jillian Allan on her Japanese paper débutante dresses and their representation of fragility. One can appreciate good art when there is coherence and depth between the idea and the final project. I felt the same way when I went to the Center for Contemporary Photography yesterday to  listen to the artists talks. David van Royen’s talk on his self-portait series, Not moving,  was truly the most inspiring one of all. Firstly because it dealt with self-portraiture and identity, a topic I’ve been exploring. Secondly, the images were well composed, and the original idea of identity was well depicted thoughout the series. The show runs until May 16th. 

18/03/2010 /  by Claudia Phares

After 100s of emails between the web guy and I, and a few fistfuls of pulled hair, I can proudly say the latest version of my website is finally finished, up and running!I tried no to get too distracted when this website was being “under construction”. The solution was to stay busy: I had a show to prepare for and its opening to attend. In the end, things panned out well: the installation for the show Embodiment: Fashion, Image, & Art  at the Guildforg Lane Gallery happened smoothly and the opening went well. Friends, family, and supporters dropped by for which I was very grateful. Tonight, I will be heading back to the gallery to give a talk about my project. My first ever talk. Here are the images I’ve displayed for the show: Here’s how it looked on the wall:

14/03/2010 /  by Claudia Phares

The opening on Thursday night for the “Embodiment: Fashion, Image and Art” at the Guildford Lane Gallery turned out well. I had the chance to meet with the other artists and catch up with friends. The feedback was constructive for this show which was significantly different to what I presented in the past. These were the images I used for the current exhibit:

14/02/2010 /  by Claudia Phares

I had participated to the “Power of Self” which was an online competition hosted by Artists Wanted where the participants submitted a series of self-portraits. There was a public vote and a judging panel vote. I am thankful for all the votes I’ve received from friends and contacts, even if I didn’t get selected. To see the winner and the honourable mentions (where a couple of Melbourne artists were featured), click here.

Here was the portfolio I had submitted.

31/12/2009 /  by Claudia Phares

Here we are, on New Year’s Eve. The great thing about this time of the year is to look back and contemplate the soon-to-be last year’s highs and not-so highs. In terms of photographic projects I had completed, I can think of a few things I’ve done which turned out well. First and foremost, this website is worth mentioning as a highlight. It is my first and not my last, as there is always room for improvements. Throughout the year, I added a few more portraits to my ongoing self-portrait collection one of which, Fitzroy Gothic, made the shortlist for the Head On 2009 competition.

I also participated in a collaboration with my friend and photographer Bronwen Hyde where we succeeded in getting our shot done in spite of the curious and intrigued looks of footie fans walking through the Fitzroy Gardens! It turned out well and I presented it as a diptych entitled Amistad. I wanted to show how friendship exist regardless of physical distance between the individuals, as I believed it is based on the nature of the bond.

For a change of scenery, I took part of the Bicycle Film Festival 2009 as a photographer for the opening night event where art and bicycle culture attracted a beautiful and energetic crowd.

1/10/2009 /  by Claudia Phares

For the second year in a row, I’ve collaborated as a photographer for the “Northside Ladies Bicycle Calendar” project. Jay Rayner, the creator of the NLBC, came up with this calendar idea 2 years ago as there were no calendars featuring portraits of women and bicycles on the market. Emerging photographers and local models were scouted and the shoots were conducted in Melbourne. Jay is great to work with as he gives the photographers carte blanche when it comes to styling the shoots. This year’s calendar has only black and white photos. It was a change from my current body of work which is mostly done in colors. The artistic challenge for my part was to think in black and white mode. I had sketched out a few ideas, some of which turned out well in practice. Melbourne is not short of outdoor locations to shoot. It boils down to light and interesting backgrounds. The following shots were not the strongest as there was little depth in the first photo and in the second on, the subject is practically blending with the background and the bike is hardly visible.

The following 3 were chosen because the composition was better. The candid effect in the 3rd image made this one interesting as well as the fact the image was shot on a rainy night, which enabled another dimension to the image with the subject being reflected in the puddle.