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National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009 Finalist
While exploring the landscape along the East MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia researching for our next exhibition, Carol Ruff and I found an old Government cottage in the historical precinct of Arltunga, 100km east of Alice Springs. Carol stepped into the empty stone room of the cottage and I noticed how the play of light on her face captured the fundamental mood that pervades many classical paintings, in particular the portraiture of the Golden Age of Dutch art. Carol is of Dutch / Javanese ancestry. The Javanese batik fabric she stitches and the colonial context of the cottage, bring her heritage and her culture into this portrait. The work of Johannes Vermeer is noted here in the suspended motion of the figure. This is a moment of heightened awareness when time stands still.
Greg Weight on working with Jiawei Shen, and starting out as a photographer.
Pat Corrigan's generous gift of 100 photographic portraits by Greg Weight.
In its second year at the National Portrait Gallery, and for the first time touring to other venues, the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009 continues to present surprising perspectives on the nature of contemporary portrait photography.
