Image: Mimi Kelly, Untitled, 2009
C-type photograph, Dimensions Variable
Image courtesy of the artist. Photography by Dan Freene.
Retouching by Wassim Bazzi.

GALLERY 1

Undercurrent
Gregory Ackland, Mimi Kelly, Jen Brazier, Edward James, Rachel McElwee, Will Nolan, Amy Patterson, Bev Southcott, and Danielle Walpole.

A group photo-media exhibition of new works by nine emerging practitioners currently based in, or originating from South Australia. The exhibition will showcase the shifting framework of contemporary Australian photo-media, highlighting the diverse practice of participating artists, from traditional photographic practices through to photographic and video installation. Less an exhibition that presents a thematic rationale, each artists’ work demonstrates rigour in their individual investigation into photo-media methodology, meaning or photographic mediums.

The Undercurrent collective consists of nine emerging photo-media practitioners currently based in, or originating from South Australia. The collective aims to contribute to the continuing development of critical and aesthetic debate concerning contemporary photo-media practice, by engaging with photo-media artists, curators, writers and other creative practitioners through ongoing exhibitions and photographic showcase contexts.

Rachel McElwee

Jen Brazier

Gregory Ackland

Will Nolan, Danielle Walpole

Ed James

Amy Patterson

Bev Southcott

Mimi Kelly, Jen Brazier

MOP Projects is a participating gallery in the Head On Photo Festival

This project is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

This project was assisted by a marketing grant for NSW artists administered by the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) through funding by arts NSW, an agency of the NSW government.

Image: Emma Thomson, gemma_sweetestberry, 2010, Lambda print, 110cm x 90 cm

GALLERY 2

Amateur Girls
Emma Thomson

Amateur Girls is a series of work that references the world of commercial glamour and starshot portraits that aim to “reveal the essence of You”. Amateur models, showgirls, hopeful actresses, singers and performers answer the call out in local papers, ‘Models and Performers Wanted’. Interested to find out what attracts them to the advertisement, Emma asks why they want to be in front of the camera and what they had in mind. The models reveal their aspirations to the camera and expose their best attributes.

Emma Thomson is a Sydney based photographic and video artist. In 2008 she completed a BFA Honours degree majoring in Photography at the National Art School, Sydney. She has exhibited in a number of national group exhibitions and has won several prizes including the 2007 Storrier Onslow National Art School Paris Studio Residency, a finalist in the 2009 National Photographic Portrait Prize and a recipient of the 2010 ArtStart Grant Australia Council for the Arts.

www.emmathomson.com.au