National Archives of Australia
Media release
Australia's best documentary photographs on show – 1 November 2006
These days our engagement with photography is guided by an uneasy suspicion. What is real and what has been simulated or digitally enhanced can be difficult to identify. And the very idea of an ‘unmediated’ photograph has come into question.
Opening today at the National Archives of Australia is an exhibition comprising the works of Australia’s 17 best documentary photographers. All 99 photographs have been produced without digital manipulation.
The Leica/Centre for Contemporary Photography Award demonstrates the breadth of contemporary approaches to documentary practice from traditional black and white through to vibrant colour. Themes range from shocking war imagery through to politics, death and everyday Australian life.
The winning entry is Intercountry Adoption by Melbourne-based photo artist Samantha Everton, depicting a Chinese girl who was adopted into an Australian family at the age of one. Another highlight is award-winning photojournalist Philip Gostelow’s Visible, Now – the Fragility of Childhood, which suggests that honouring the space for a child to play and wonder is the most important freedom.
The Leica/CCP Documentary Photography Award is held biennially and is Australia’s most prestigious survey of contemporary documentary photography.
The exhibition will remain on show at the National Archives of Australia until 4 February 2007.
Contact information
For further information:
Jennifer Batchelor, National Archives of Australia
Tel: (02) 6212 6245 or 0432 767 522
