Remain in Light - Photography from the MCA Collections
7 August – 4 October 2015
The history of the MCA collections runs parallel to the emergence of what could be loosely described as conceptual photography. A moment when photography was ‘exposed’ – where photographer and subject became collaborators and the construction of the photograph as image and text came to the fore.
Through its exhibition programs the MCA has been an important centre in the dissemination of some of these ideas. Even when over theorized photography exhibitions tend to be incredibly popular. After all, almost everyone has taken a photo at some point or another. The recent rise of ‘user generated’ content, most particularly as a web based phenomena through photo sharing sites like Flicker and Instagram, means that many people now DO photography with some intensity.
Remain in Light does not attempt to set any new parameters for the definition of photography or delineate a new history. Instead it brings together a group of images and objects that depict some of the streams of thought and contexts that have run through the last 40 years of photographic practice. These include performance and conceptualism, constructed artificial realities, new approaches to the documentary and the relationship between image and object.
The exhibition includes over 70 artworks by Australian and international artists collected by the University of Sydney and the Museum of Contemporary Art during a period spanning more than 50 years, and provides a broad overview of photographic practice by artists, many who have been recognised as contributing significantly to critical debates in art from the late 1960s to the present day, exploring the influence of photographic theory and technique in contemporary art. Key genres are explored including documentary photography, serial photography, performance photography and the manipulation of the photographic image. Artists include Julie Rrap, Ed Ruscha, Tracey Moffatt, Ricky Maynard, Rosemary Laing and Barbara Kruger.
Remain in Light Photography from the MCA Collections is a touring exhibition from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Page ID: 99289