HIY2009 - Hang It Yourself
HUW DAVIES GALLERY 5 September–20 September
Six people began work to turn a disused Kingsley Street building into a community photographic centre in September 1984. Before then PhotoAccess was a much discussed concept, but the reality of Canberra people sharing resources, skills and ideas in a place and an organisation dedicated to community involvement in photography began at that time.
In September and October 2009 we recognise the work and commitment of the many people who have contributed to PhotoAccess over the past 25 years. HIY 2009 is the first event celebrating the PhotoAccess 25th Anniversary. In for life, an exhibition of work by PhotoAccess life members, a commemorative print portfolio and a dinner on 15 October will round out the anniversary celebrations.
With more than 160 images from 57 participants, including very young members Eric Mandl and Max Pratten Helmreich, HIY 2009 has repeated the ‘bigger and better’ trend of members shows over the past few years. We are very excited to welcome so many first time artists to the HUW DAVIES GALLERY—including Gemma Walker, George Poulakis, Pat McNeil, Margaret Kalms, Angus Kendon, Katie Puttock, Marissa Bandharangi, Jenny Brown, Michael White, Erinn Blunsdon, Janet Ilchef, Ian Baird, Bernard Robertson-Dunn and Margaret Hathaway.
Just as pleasing is the presence of so many members who have shown with us consistently over the years, and Ed Whalan, Kerry Baylor, Payal Sehgal Mahajan, Tony Stewart, Suzie Edwards, Barbie Robison, Erica Hurrell, Stephen Best, Kathleen Fisher and Lyndy Delian who have all had recent solo exhibitions in the HUW DAVIES GALLERY. Josh Wodak is a PhotoAccess artist in residence who will have his first solo exhibition with us in 2010.
HIY 2008 was the template for our very accessible Hang It Yourself shows. Avoiding the conventions and cost of framing and presenting work for more formal exhibitions, and confronting artists with the challenges involved in curating their own small show within a show, the HIY format looks like becoming a permanent feature of our gallery program. It has been a real pleasure to see artists in the gallery pondering the available wall spaces to ensure their work is presented to their satisfaction (or something approximating that often elusive state). Dane Donaldson took to the ceiling to make sure his Eucumbene pano. could be shown. We might have good news for panoramists next year.
The second part of the exhibition is a mass artists’ talk. We look forward to seeing all of the artists here to talk entertainingly and passionately about their work at Sunday in the Gallery on 20 September.
David Chalker
