Dumbarton Oaks - Susan Stayer
HUW DAVIES GALLERY 13 –30 March 2008
'Dumbarton Oaks' is Susan Stayer’s first solo exhibition in the HUW DAVIES GALLERY at PhotoAccess. Originating in the gardens and grounds of Dumbarton Oaks, a renowned centre for scholarship in Washington, DC, it was first shown (as 'Garden Encounters') at E3 Gallery in New York in late 2005.
The quiet, carefully composed images in 'Dumbarton Oaks' suggest a setting conducive to creativity and learning, like the settings for comparable Australian centres—including Bundanon on the Shoalhaven River and the Varuna Writers’ Centre in the Blue Mountains, both in New South Wales. Places like these grow in importance as contemplative, supportive environments for creative work become more rare. Stayer says:
'The gardens are peaceful and inviting. They encourage further exploration and are quick to yield wonderful surprises. The photographs here represent a small sample of what I've discovered over the course of many visits to Dumbarton Oaks.'
Stayer identifies with the Paris images of French photographer Eugène Atget, images revealing she says, a ‘… unique vision and mysterious beauty’. But history tells us Atget had no artistic interest in the images he made. Rejecting the title of artist:
'He had no time for Man Ray [a neighbour in Montparnasse in the 1920s] or the Surrealists and responded to their interest in his images by saying, ‘These are simple documents I make.’ And yet today these documents are sought after for their clear and unique vision, for their mysterious beauty, for their evidence of a personal passion …’ (Maria Connolly, Eugène Atget and Haunted Paris: Trees, Parks and Architecture @ www.iphotocentral.com)
If Atget’s images have status as artworks regardless of his intention, Susan Stayer’s images are successful because she begins with an artist’s point of view. In these images and her other work Stayer demonstrates well developed visual instincts and a constant search for memorable, soulful images. Harold Cazneaux, in his studies of the garden at Ambleside, his family home in Sydney, and Olive Cotton are amongst the best known Australian artist photographers to have had parallel interests.
With Kerry Baylor, Robert Burne, Kathleen Fisher, Miguel Gallagher, Lorna Sim and Ed Whalan, Susan Stayer is a member of the ‘old spool Betties’, a group of photographers who aim to encourage each other by creating and commenting on images based on a weekly theme. Examples of their work and musings can be found at www.oldspoolbetties.blogspot.c
Susan Stayer’s images created immediate interest when she participated in 'Access all areas 2007: The PhotoAccess Member’s Show'. Her work continues to impress. 'Dumbarton Oaks' is a serious, memorable exhibition and PhotoAccess is delighted to present it in the HUW DAVIES GALLERY at the Manuka Arts Centre.
David Chalker
