Abstract:
Taking photography as a rhetorical art practice, this paper considers contemporary Australian photography engaged with land, landscape and place, investigating ways in which imagery contributes to inflecting our understanding of ‘Australianness’. Examples discussed refer to the outback, land and climate change, the coast, aboriginal culture, and range from the overtly issue-driven to the more symbolic. Particular attention is paid to the inter-relation of aesthetic strategies, reflexivity and subject-matter.

This is a work-in-progress paper; research, including gallery viewings, is ongoing. Artists
referenced include Narelle Autio, Bill Henson, Ricky Maynard, Martin Mischkulnig, Tracey Moffatt, Trent Parke, Michael Riley, Stephanie Valentin, MAP (Many Australian Photographers).

Liz Wells is Professor in Photographic Culture, Faculty of Arts, University of Plymouth, UK, and convenes the research group for Land/Water and the Visual Arts. (www.landwater-research.co.uk). She writes and lectures on photographic practices. She is editor of The Photography Reader, 2003 and of Photography: A Critical Introduction, 2009, 4th ed.; also co-editor of Photographies, Routledge journals

Convenors: Ken Taylor and Alastair MacLachlan

All welcome