Australians by Paul Blackmore
Paul Blackmore, in his first book Australians: Responses to the Land (1999) looked at how the tough Australian environment animates and influences Australian culture. In the book’s introduction, celebrated Australian writer David Malouf writes: “In Paul Blackmore’s world these people are allowed the dignity of their ordinariness; he seeks out what is touching in them. This collection is full of such moments of affection and uncondescending regard for the lives of others. For all its grimness, the world he presents is aglow with life, and little incidental beauties, and an abiding mystery.”
The exhibition Australians at Fox Gallery expands on the acclaimed series. The more recent works revisit the themes of the landscape and belonging, but focuses mainly on the Australian coast. In particular, a dynamic culture laid bare amidst the waters and beaches of the east coast beneath an ever hotter sun.
About Paul Blackmore
Paul Blackmore’s many photo essays and stories, published in such international media as TIME, L’Express, Le Monde, and Geo, have established him as a much sought-after collectable photographer. He has gained prominence through his exhibitions at Camera One New York, Stills Gallery Sydney, Perpignan France and the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne.
In 2010 a series of photos from At Water’s Edge were exhibited at the esteemed Biennale D’Limage France and in 2012, at the Leonardo Museum Salt Lake City. Blackmore is one of a new generation of photojournalists – reporters of reality –whose elegant, coherent and enduring observations function as both valuable records of social change and stunning fine-art images.
