Beauty in difference: the street photography of Jon Lewis

© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.

Since 2014, the distinguished photographer Jon Lewis has walked the streets of Sydney capturing the many faces he has encountered. This exhibition features a series of 20 black-and-white streets portraits. A veteran, self-taught photographer of more than 40 years, Lewis connects with perfect strangers when he takes their photographs, but the images are anonymous as he doesn’t record their names or any personal details. His work is influenced by the candid photography of greats such as Henry Cartier-Bresson and Diane Arbus.

© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.

Lewis acknowledges that the audience has to work harder to unravel his images: “The less we know of the image by title, interview or small talk, the more the photograph has to do its job.”

© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.

State Library curator Anni Turnbull says, “Jon’s photographs showcase the incredible diversity of inner Sydney, and his photographic are evidence of why Sydney is such a great cosmopolitan city. As well as being works of great craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty, they form an important documentary record of Sydney today which will be preserved for future generations in the State Library’s collection.”

© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.

Lewis has been exhibiting photographs since 1974. He was a member of Sydney’s ‘Yellow House’ in the early 1970s, and was a founder of Greenpeace Australia. The 20 photographs on display are amongst 50 digital images in the series ‘Sydney Town Street Portraits’, which the Library acquired last year.

© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.
© Jon Lewis.

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November

Sydney: The exhibition delves into the State Library of NSW's vast collection of two million images, showcasing 400 photos – many displayed for the first time.

February

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Melbourne: Jill Orr’s The Promised Land Refigured is an exhibition that reworks the original project created in 2012 with new insights that have emerged in the past eleven years.

Sydney: Curated by Lynn Smith, Urban Enigmas aims to unlock the subtle mysteries that lurk in out-of-the-way places in big cities: back lanes, river banks, street markets, abandoned factories, old bridges and so on.

March

Ballarat: Nan Goldin is an American artist whose work explores subcultures, moments of intimacy, the impacts of the HIV/AIDS and opioid epidemics on her communities, and photography as a tool for social activism.

Sydney: The Ocean Photographer of the Year Award, run by London based Oceanographic Magazine is in its 4th year and has quickly achieved recognition amongst photographers around the world.

Albury: The National Photography Prize offers a $30,000 acquisitive prize, the $5000 John and Margaret Baker Fellowship for an emerging practitioner, and further supports a number of artists through focused acquisitions.