Brisbane Photo Exhibitions: Queensland Centre for Photography, South Brisbane

The Queensland Centre for Photography has just launched 6 exhibitions which will run until September 20. The QCP is on the corner of Cordelia St and Russell St, South Brisbane - click here for a Google Map.

The picture above is from one of the exhibitions that really caught my eye, the "London Postcode Project" by Gavin Browne. Browne took a disposable camera around London, limiting himself to 3 photos in any one London postcode. Browne says the aim was:

to simply capture an idea of what defined the city at that moment, through people and place - a London largely void of the stereotypical iconography associated with it. I was not concerned with taking the 'perfect' photograph....The resulting images build a unique photo essay on this amazing city.

I  love the idea of this - just by taking an interest in Brisbane photos, I've noticed how many photos are of the same old boring things - the Story Bridge, the Wheel of Brisbane, the Riverside Expressway and so on. It must be a lot worse in London which has so many more famous things to photograph.



This photo is from the "A little bit Bogan" exhibition by Jay Cronan. "Bogan" is an Australian word for a working-class person who typically likes cars and wear tight jeans and flanellette shirts - also called "westies" or "Bevans". A rough equivalent would be "greaser" or "white trash", or "chav" in the UK.

Cronan says:

Often a term used in derogatory manner by those who are of an elitist mentality, I set out to capture the endearing behaviours of Bogans in their natural environment. I have attempted to break down the viewer's own preconceived opinions of what a Bogan is, so they are able to learn to love and embrace their own inner Bogan qualities in the hope that they will occasionally be able to set it free.

Which is a bloody good idea. Far too many inner-city types automatically hate bogans. For instance, there's a ska-hispter song played on radio station 4zzz (to which I subscribe) now and again called "Nobody likes a bogan". Admittedly, some of them aren't people you'd want to hang around with - but how about finding out out who is good and who is a closed-minded bigot BEFORE you decide they're not worth your time and effort - otherwise, you might be acting like a closed-minded bigot, no?

On Saturday August 29 at 3pm, two of the artists will be talking about their exhibitions - Peter Annand will talk about "Air, Sand, Seawater", and Glen Henderson will discuss "Percept". The talks are free but because space is limited you'll need to email the QCP by Friday August 28 to let them know you're coming. The address is admin [at] qcp.org.au

The QCP is open from 11am-6pm Wed to Sat, and Sundays from 11am-3pm. It's closed on Monday and Tuesday, and entry is free.