Friday Round Up - 11 October

Friday Round Up is back this week with 2013 FotoEvidence Book Winner Robin Hammond's book launch and exhibition of "Condemned," conceptual artist Phillip Toledano's exhibition "The Absent Portrait," Michael Coyne's "X Factor" and an interview with Sydney documentary photographer Louise Whelan about her new book "New Settlers".

Book & Exhibition
Robin Hammond – Condemned 

“Condemned: Mental Health in African Countries in Crisis” is the result of an exhaustive exploration over seven years by Paris-based New Zealand photographer Robin Hammond. Shot in nine African countries “Condemned” was the winner of the 2013 FotoEvidence Book Award and Hammond will be in New York for the launch of his book and the supporting exhibition which opens on 17 October at VII Photo Gallery.





“Condemned” is an incredibly moving story of those with mental illness who are struggling to survive in countries that are beset by conflict and hampered by failing infrastructures. My interview with Hammond and the full review of his book will appear in November.

Published by FotoEvidence, “Condemned” features 89 black and white images, as well as interviews with those suffering from mental illness and mental health workers. Svetlana Bachevanova, publisher of FotoEvidence, said “FotoEvidence is extremely proud to again be publishing a powerful and important work that gives voice and draws attention to the plight of some of the most vulnerable people in the world”.

Hammond is the winner of four Amnesty International awards for Human Rights journalism and has dedicated his career to documenting human rights and development issues around the world, with specific focus on sub-Saharan Africa. In 2011 Hammond won the Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award. (All images (C) Robin Hammond)

For more details please visit FotoEvidence

Exhibition:
Phillip Toledano - The Absent Portrait 

For a complete change in visual style, take a look at New York-based British conceptual artist and photographer Phillip Toledano's exhibition The Absent Portrait, which is currently on show at Edmund Pearce Gallery in Melbourne. This work premiered at the Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam in September (you can read my interview with Unseen GM Sasha Stone on the Feature Articles tab at the top of the blog or click here).

The Absent Portrait explores concepts of censorship, absence and suppression and builds on Toledano's work around socio-political themes. In creating this series Toledano was initially inspired by the images created by the common practice of Iranian censors to “black out” by hand with large black strokes the pictures of women on the commercial packaging of everyday goods. 

In an interview with Time Toledano said, “When you take away the packaging and you have this figure that large, it takes on a kind of painterly aspect. You see the censor’s hand, the swirls of ink. It’s beautiful, but also very disturbing.” 

“The thing about the series for me that’s important to get across is that, yes, it is about women and it is about the Middle East, but it’s also very applicable to all of us, because all of us in every country live in a system where reality is twisted — whether it’s by religion or by government, there’s a certain amount of torquing,” he concluded.  (All images (C) Phillip Toledano)

Until 2 November
Edmund Pearce Gallery
Nicholas Building
2/37 Swanston St, Melbourne

Exhibition:
Michael Coyne – The X Factor 

Michael Coyne is best known for his ground-breaking coverage of the Iran Iraq War in the 1980s, but Coyne has shot numerous assignments for international magazines over the past thirty years and published more than a dozen books on a wide range of topics.

Now his exhibition, the X Factor, is on show at Manning Clark House in Canberra until 1 November. The exhibition comprises a collection of images shot by Coyne over the past three years using Fujifilm’s X series cameras. (All images (C) Michael Coyne)

Until 1 November

11 Tasmania Circle
Forrest, (Canberra)

Interview:
Louise Whelan - New Settlers 

I recently interviewed Sydney documentary photographer Louise Whelan for the Weekend Australian Magazine about her new book New Settlers published by Australia’s only dedicated photography book publisher Gianni Frinzi from T&G Publishing. You can read the full interview on the Feature Articles tab of this blog or by clicking here.

To find out more about the book please visit T&G Publishing 

Interview:
Barat Ali Batoor - Pro Photo

The latest issue of Pro Photo magazine features my profile on Barat Ali Batoor, out now.

Have a great weekend.