Photojournalism Now: Angkor

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December 02, 2016

Friday Round Up - 2nd December, 2016

This week on Photojournalism Now: Friday Round Up the 12th edition of Angkor Photo opens in Siem Reap, Cambodia and two new exhibitions for Sydney and Melbourne - in Sydney check out Markus Andersen's exhibition 'Cabramatta' and in Melbourne Magnet Galleries presents DESIVOLUTION.

Tonight is the gala event for the 2016 Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism in Brisbane. Am currently frocking up in oppressive humidity and the temperature's soaring into the mid-30's C which is approaching 95 degrees F! That is making this Melbourne girl's hair go super curly! Despite the impending hair crisis, it is set to be a great night when Australia's leading lights in journalism come together to celebrate. I was thrilled to be a judge this year for the photography categories and to be part of the jury that awarded Andrew Quilty Photo of the Year. Am eager to see who the final winners are tonight in the remaining categories.

(C) Andrew Quilty

Feature:
Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops
Angkor Photo is the longest running photographic festival in Southeast Asia and provides emerging photographers in the region with an unprecedented opportunity to engage, learn and network with professionals from all over the world.

The 12th edition features over 130 photographers from 45 countries. Exhibitions run throughout the festival week and there are evening projections also. This year Claudia Hinterseer is the guest curator for the Festival’s environmental-themed ‘GreenLight Exhibition Series’ which this year is titled ‘We Alter Nature’. Hinterseer was a founder of NOOR agency and is currently the Senior Multimedia Director at China Daily Asia in Hong Kong.

Hinterseer says, “Documentary photography is a powerful medium to both celebrate nature and scrutinise the massive human impact on our environment. This showcase of 15 documentary photo projects for the 2016 Angkor Photo Festival makes the large-scale degradation of our natural habitat and the endangerment of its species visible while juxtaposing it with close-ups and zoom-outs of intact nature and photo projects about human needs and habits.

“By bringing together the work of some world-renowned documentary photographers including Ingo Arndt, Daniel Beltrá, Edward Burtynsky, Alejandro Durán, Chris Jordan, Daesung Lee, Kadir van Lohuizen, Maskbook project, Paolo Marchetti, Peter Menzel, Simon Norfolk, Joel Sartore, Henk Wildschut and Li Zhiguo my point is to show that the way and the speed at which we’re altering the world’s flora and fauna is stunning and unsustainable.”

A selection from ‘We Alter Nature':

©Daesung Lee

©Kadir van Lohuizen

©Peter Menzel

All events are free, including the professional workshops which aim to provide emerging photographers with the opportunity to learn from international professionals. This year the six tutors are Antoine D’Agata, Sohrab Hura, Kosuke Okahara, Sim Chi Yin, Newsha Tavakolian and Ian Teh.

2016 marks the tenth anniversary for Françoise Callier the programme coordinator for the Festival an the curator of the projections. Here is a sample of the work featured in the evening projections:

Aun Raza, Pakistan - Cuba

Jodi Bieber, South Africa - Between Dogs and Wolves

Vlad Sokhin, Russia - The Two Faces of the Thunder Dragon

Matilde Gattoni , Italy/France - Ocean Rage

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Zalmai, Afghanistan/Switzerland - The End of Mirage

Ingetje Tadros, Australia - This is My Country

Exhibition: Sydney

Markus Andersen - Cabramatta

Curated by Claire Monneraye from the Australian Centre for Photography (ACP), this exhibition features images from Sydney photographic artist Markus Andersen's book Cabramatta: A Moment In Time.

I'm used to seeing Andersen's constrasty black and white images on social media so to see these colour photographs and get another insight into his work is gratifying. Andersen's signature use of light is present here too, and I really enjoy the way he uses the surrounds and found objects to frame his subjects. If you miss the show at Fairfield, it will be moving to ACP before touring nationally next year.

December 3, 2016 to January 7, 2017
Fairfield City Gallery & Museum
Cnr. Oxford Street & The Horsley Drive
Smithfield

Melbourne:
Magnet Galleries - DESIVOLUTION

DESIVOLUTION is part of Multicultural Arts Victoria's MAPPING MELBOURNE Asian-Australian cultural festival. The exhibition showcases the cultural importance of the Indian restaurant in the world of the Desi diaspora. (DESI - the word used by Indians in the diaspora for self-identify).

Magnet Galleries Melbourne
Level 2
640 Bourke Street

Melbourne

November 27, 2015

Friday Round Up - 27 November, 2015

On Friday Round Up Rock Against Racism, Berenice Abbott and Angkor Photo Festival. This week’s post comes from my sick bed. Not only did I come home from Europe with a host of photography books. I also picked up a rotten respiratory infection so am writing from the comfort of my bed at some ridiculous hour of the morning as sleep eludes me. Am trusting my brain is still functioning!

Next week begins December's annual Book Reviews in the lead to Christmas. Books make great gifts, and I'm excited to feature a number of wonderful titles. But to this week's post…enjoy.

Exhibition: London
Syd Shelton - Rock Against Racism

Rock Against Racism Supporters

One of the exhibitions I caught in London was Syd Shelton's Rock Against Racism. Fantastic black and white images that show Shelton's street photography roots and capture the electrified movement that saw punk rock and reggae bands come together to fight racism and celebrate diversity in the late seventies. The message here is no different to today. Intolerance has no place in our societies.

Rock Against Racism was formed in 1976 by a group of writers, musicians and artists to counter the then rising support for the National Front. Shelton was one of the early members and became the movement's de facto photographer. The movement put on concerts and also participated in protests. The most renown being 1977's Battle of Lewisham where 125 National Front marchers staged an 'anti-mugging' march only to come up against around 10,000 Rock Against Racism supporters.

“At the time, if you were young, black, and male in particular, then you were really caricatured as a mugger," says Shelton. "It was a little bit like the nonsensical thing that sees all Muslim people as Jihadists. It’s the same sort of caricature and it was really horrific.”

Bagga, vocalist with Matumbi

Anti-racist Skinheads, Hoxton, London 1978

Rock Against Racism Concert 1978

Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, The Clash

Rock Against Racism Concert 1978

By 1978 tens of thousands participated in Rock Against Racism marches and bands such as The Clash and Tom Robinson Band were headlining Rock Against Racism concerts as the new wave of punk rock took hold.

The movement lasted for about five years and Shelton says he believes they were successful in changing attitudes. "That's what we wanted to do. We felt as though we could change things and I think we did".

Rock Against Racism is also a book and you can buy it here.

Until 5 December
Rivington Place
London
EC2A 3BA

Berenice Abbott

Berenice Abbott Self-Portrait

Another exhibition I saw in London at Beetles+Huxley in Mayfair, which finished this week, was a collection of works by Berenice Abbott (1898-1991). I really loved this show too.

Abbott was a pioneer and her journey is an inspiration - photographer, businesswoman, inventor of photographic equipment, teacher and artist - are just a few of the labels she earned. Her story is one of determination and open-mindedness. A free spirit with a brilliant mind. At the age of 19 she dropped out of journalism school at Ohio State University, as she didn't agree with the politics of academia, and moved to New York with nothing more than what she could carry. There she worked odd jobs and lived with friends in Greenwich Village. Surrounded by artists she began to explore her creative side.

In the early 1920s her love of sculpture drew her to Paris where she was introduced to photography as Man Ray's darkroom assistant. The pair had met earlier in New York. She needed a job and he wanted someone who wasn't a photographer. It was an ideal arrangement.

Abbott is quoted as saying "Man Ray did not teach me photographic techniques. One day he did, however, suggest that I ought to take some (photographs) myself; he showed me how the camera worked and I soon began taking some on my lunch break. I would ask friends to come by and I’d take pictures of them. The first I took came out well, which surprised me. I had no idea of becoming a photographer, but the pictures kept coming out and most of them were good. Some were very good and I decided perhaps I could charge something for my work".

At work

Portrait Eugene Atget

Portrait Jean Cocteau

Portrait Jessie Cateicher

Portrait Unknown

By 1926 Abbott was exhibiting and had a thriving photographic studio of her own. She didn't look back and never worked for anyone again. She spent almost a decade in Paris where she cemented her reputation as a leading portrait photographer. One of her most personal portraits was of French photographer Eugene Atget whose work Abbott greatly admired. She is credited with championing the work of Atget whose archive Abbott secured after his death.

Three years later Abbott moved back to New York, but it was the beginning of the Great Depression and work was hard to procure even for someone with her reputation. She multi-tasked shooting portraits, editorial work, teaching and applying for grants (sound familiar?).

Her long career is defined by her portraits and her decade-long documentation of New York City, as well as road trips and the work she did in the field of science in the forties in a bid to bring the wonders of science to the masses. Below are two of my favourite Berenice Abbott science photographs.

Last week in London I had the opportunity to see some of these works on show at Beetles + Huxley Gallery in the final days of the exhibition. I also bought the catalogue, an elegant production that allows me to revisit the images at my leisure. The catalogues produced by many of the galleries in Europe are just exquisite and I could easily fill my bookshelves (if I had any empty shelves to fill that is!). At least the catalogues are small enough to bring home in an already laden suitcase.

Festival: Cambodia
Angkor Photo Festival and Workshops

Next Friday the 11th Edition of Angkor Photo opens in Siem Reap, Cambodia with an extensive line up of exhibitions, projections and workshops. To find out more visit the site here, but for a taste…

Vlad Sokhin - Kiribati
Cosmos/Panos