and Islander Australians, and reflected the begin-
nings of a renaissance in work produced by indi-
genous photographers.
The advent of New Media in the 1990s prompted
fundamental shifts in how photography was under-
stood. With technological advances that allowed
the total manipulation of content and style, the
connection between the photograph and the real
world was severed. As a result, some Australian
critics suggested that photography was dead. How-
ever, despite their pessimism the ‘‘corpse’’ of photo-
graphy in fact remained remarkably lively with
many concurrent streams of practice evident. Key
areas of contemporary photography in the 1990s
included an interest in digital technologies, gender
issues (including queer art), abstract photography,
photograms, and documentary photography.
Patricia Piccinini uses sophisticated new digital
technologies to make witty and disturbing com-
ments on genetic engineering. Her seemingly innoc-
uous images of computer generated ‘‘life forms’’
point to one of the major issues of our times: that
is, the ability to create and manipulate life. Another
technically sophisticated photographer is Bill Hen-
son, who continues to expand on a very successful
local and international career begun in the late
1970s, with installations of highly lyrical images
essentially concerned with untranslatable emo-
tions. Henson was the first photographer chosen
to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale in
1995, a mark both of his standing in the arts com-
munity and a sign of the incorporation of photo-
graphy into wider art practice.
Perhaps in reaction to the overturning of tradi-
tional definitions of photography, a number of
Australian artists are using various early photo-
graphic techniques, such as photograms. Penelope
Davis is one photographer who turns the tables on
the medium to ironically produce camera-less
images of the camera. Anne Ferran has used con-
vict women’s clothes to create a series of evocative
photograms in which the ghostly qualities of the
medium evoke the bodily forms of women whose
histories are now otherwise lost.
Another significant aspect of contemporary
photography in the 1990s was the re-working of
traditional processes and styles, most notably in
the area of documentary photography. After
years of critical neglect, documentary practices
underwent a surge in popularity with a new gen-
eration using and extending this way of working to
explore the world around them. Two Australian
prizes that helped encourage documentary photo-
graphy among younger practitioners were held in
the 1990s: The Felix H. Man Memorial Prize, at the
National Gallery of Victoria (1992 and 1993), and
the Leica Documentary Photography Award, at
the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Mel-
bourne in 1998 (ongoing).
One of the most significant photographic trends
of the 1990s, which continues to develop, is the
outstanding work produced by Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander photographers. In a fascinat-
ing twist on nineteenth century photography, indi-
genous photographs are often reconfiguring
images of indigenous people taken by European
photographers. Leah King-Smith and Brook
Andrew, for instance, have both produced power-
ful bodies of work that quote nineteenth century
photography in order to question how Aboriginal
people have been depicted and to reassert their
own continuing presence.
The work of indigenous artists is one important
aspect of the robust contemporary photographic
scene in Australia. Despite its relatively small
population (around 19 million), the country has
a rich photographic tradition and continues to
produce many talented photographers. Although
Australian practitioners historically have tended
to follow broad international trends, the images
they produced often showed considerable innova-
tion and experimentation. Some, especially in the
early to mid 1900s, sought to create an Australian
photographic style based on local conditions and
subjects—a desire for distinction that is of less
interest among contemporary practitioners whose
work is generally ‘‘internationalist’’ in appear-
ance. While photography has a well-established
and respected place in Australia’s visual arts,
knowledge of its practitioners internationally is
relatively limited: outside of Tracey Moffatt and
Bill Henson, who have well-established interna-
tional careers, few others are known in any
depth. However, as the domination by traditional
centers of photography is slowly replaced by a
more encompassing and inclusive worldview, it
seems likely that the significant and ongoing con-
tributions of Australian photographers will reach
wider prominence.
ISOBELCrombie
Seealso:Australian Centre for Photography; Digi-
tal Photography; Documentary Photography; Link-
ed Ring Brotherhood; Pictorialism; Postmodernism;
Newton, HelmutFurther Reading
Cato, Jack.The Story of the Camera in Australia. Mel-
bourne: Georgian House, 1955.AUSTRALIA, PHOTOGRAPHY IN