Exhibition revival commemorates experience
In 1955 an unassuming exhibition by six Australian photographers managed to capture an important turning point in photography.
The six Australian photographers – David Potts, Max Dupain, Kerry Dundas, Hal Missingham, Axel Poignant and Gordon Andrews – presented an exhibition in Sydney that represented a shift from the traditions of the past to the recording of contemporary life.
It was a key exhibition in representing a shift away from the traditions of pictorialism, and towards the documenting of life experiences and events.
In a celebration of this historic shift, the Art Gallery of NSW will again be showcasing those photographs in a new exhibition, beginning on December 5.
“These particular photographers presented a new wave in Australian photography that dealt with documentary,” said exhibition curator Elizabeth Maloney.
“It was a progression that led to a great outpouring in creative photography from the 1960s and 1970s that just wasn’t there for a long time. [So this exhibition] gives an insight into how photography moved on from these early beginnings.”
David Potts was only 27 at the time of the original exhibition. “I wish there was more of us around to enjoy it, because Kerry [Dundas] and I are the only icons, you might say, of that group,” he said.
Although Mr Potts said he was proud of the impact the exhibition made, he was disappointed at the lack of interest shown from prospective buyers, with none of the photographs sold during the exhibition. “The strange thing was nobody was much interested in photography at the time and they were selling for 5 ginnies – that’s $10.50 – and nobody sold a print. So I could’ve bought the whole exhibition really for about $400 or $500,” he said.
“All the photographs were 20 by 16 inches. They were mounted on a card and then we put corks on each corner and pushed those over nails driven to the walls. So the photographs stood out from the walls. I’ve never seen anything like it since then,” he said.
The ‘6 Photographers’ exhibition will be on view from December 5 to March 7 at the Art Gallery of NSW.
by Ehssan Veiszadeh
