We want more than just "Chicken or Beef"!

[Ross Chambers]

The NSW Sate Art Gallery in Sydney has regular exhibitions - the Tracey Moffat one which was a travelling show - and earlier there was a retrospective of Jeff Carter's work which was very well done.
Then we have the Australian Photographic Centre in Paddington which puts on regular exhibitions of current photographic work, and courses courses, and the National Gallery in Canberra which seems to mount a couple of exhibitions each year.
So maybe it is a Sth Aus thing?

Wasn't the Jeff Carter retrospective at the State Library of NSW? I certainly saw a show very like this there and wanted very much to buy a copy of his superb "Tobacco Road" Unfortunately there seem to be unresolved copyright problems in Carter's works to the extent that the Library was compiling a list of folk wanting prints as some sort of ammunition. Sometimes I feel that the SLNSW does a better job of curating and showing Oz photography than the AGNSW, although a specific and generously spacious photo gallery--unlike the neglected indigenous art space--has been recently commissioned at the AGNSW.

I received a rather abrupt and dismissive reply from the AGNSW curator when questioning the lighting level of the room of the Steiglitz show which was the debut of their photo gallery (comparing perceptible detail under gallery dim lighting and that of prints published in books) I was more or less told to stick to the books and don't question the world of art galleries.

The Australian Photographic Centre has its moments when it gets away from shows featuring trendy Sydneyites photographing trendy Sydneyites (I understand that the nomenclature is "hipsters")

More and more I dunno what art is.

Regards Confused of Springwood.

[Leigh Youdale]

Hi Ross,
You're right about the Library hosting the Carter exhibition. Interestingly his family run a cafe in Berry (Hedgehogs) where there are quite a few prints of his on the walls and one copy of the book, which they declined to sell to me. They explained their problems with the publishers and I put my name down on their waiting list. If ever they get the rights back they're planning to self-publish it.
I too was underwhelmed by the Steiglitz exhibition - and I agree that the APC does tend towards the nouveaux-trendy. But I did like their "Head On" exhibition last year. But parking around there is a swine.
I was also a bit disappointed in the Annie Leibowitz exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum. Apart from some rather dramatic and well-known celebrity portraits the rest were largely personal and family images that, for me, held no real attraction, and weren't even up to local camera club work. If she weren't famous for other reasons nobody would notice them.
Nevertheless we do seem to get a number of shows in Sydney or Canberra each year but it sounded like Nicole in Perth (the OP) was being starved of any photographic shows at all.

[lesm]

Hi Ross,

Nevertheless we do seem to get a number of shows in Sydney or Canberra each year but it sounded like Nicole in Perth (the OP) was being starved of any photographic shows at all.

Yep, once you get over them mountains and head out West there ain't no culture. All you hear is a faint sound of banjos...

[lesm]

Sorry, did I kill this discussion off? My comment was meant to be just a light-hearted aside. It wasn't meant in any way to be self-pitying or snide. Please continue!

[Ross Chambers]

Sorry, did I kill this discussion off? My comment was meant to be just a light-hearted aside. It wasn't meant in any way to be self-pitying or snide. Please continue!

I don't believe so. My observation is that the discussion moves along in fits and starts and ruminant cud chewing. Oh hell, now I've probably upset Nicole.

Season's Greetings to all in the paddock, Ross

[hoffy]

Yep, once you get over them mountains and head out West there ain't no culture. All you hear is a faint sound of banjos...

Hey, I resemble that remark....