13/11, 2013, c-type print, 120x150cm, edition of 8.
Svetlana Bailey is currently exhibiting her photographic work entitled 'Mirage' at the Queensland Centre of Photography. The work will be on display until October 20th 2013, bringing with it an investigation of the paradoxical desire for freedom and belonging by examining empty interiors and vast, somewhat other-worldly landscapes.
The interiors were photographed during the artists recent residency in Chongqing, China and are that of the studio in which Svetlana Baily worked with artist Li Junyi to study the medium of the 19th century process of daquerreotype photography. The subject of interiors and the process of the daguerreotype is linked by the intimacy one experiences within their surroundings and the intimacy that the viewing of a daguerreotype demands, as one traditionally holds it in their hands, touching it and looking closely at the image to see the fine negative and positive details. However, this intimacy is contradicted by the artist as she enlarges the daquerreotypes, changing the way we see the image and revealing the imperfections of the hand made process. The silence of the interiors are combined with large colour prints of Chongqing's fog-encased landscapes, forming a relationship of limitlessness and fragile environments. The artist considers one's experience of the surroundings and the interaction between the inner experience and external environment.
The interiors were photographed during the artists recent residency in Chongqing, China and are that of the studio in which Svetlana Baily worked with artist Li Junyi to study the medium of the 19th century process of daquerreotype photography. The subject of interiors and the process of the daguerreotype is linked by the intimacy one experiences within their surroundings and the intimacy that the viewing of a daguerreotype demands, as one traditionally holds it in their hands, touching it and looking closely at the image to see the fine negative and positive details. However, this intimacy is contradicted by the artist as she enlarges the daquerreotypes, changing the way we see the image and revealing the imperfections of the hand made process. The silence of the interiors are combined with large colour prints of Chongqing's fog-encased landscapes, forming a relationship of limitlessness and fragile environments. The artist considers one's experience of the surroundings and the interaction between the inner experience and external environment.
Svetlana Bailey is also currently exhibiting 'Mirage' at Artereal Gallery until October 26th, acting as her second solo exhibition with the gallery.
Come along to Artereal Gallery this Saturday 19th at 3pm for Svetlana Bailey's artist talk where she will discuss and answer questions on her current work. The talk is free and all are welcome.
