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By: Max Olijnyk
Date: 21st May 08
Medium: Photography
Drink: Long neck in a paper bag
What:
Conor O'Brien, There Stands the Glass
Where:
Centre for Contemporary Photography, 404 George
St, Fitzroy
When:
Opening TONIGHT! Thurs May 22, 6-8pm
Exhibition runs until July 5
How much:
Free entry. Artwork and books for sale.
Win:
Thanks to Serps Press, we have a pair of books by Conor to give away: Hold On To Each Other and There Stands The Glass. To enter, email win@threethousand.com.au and tell us the name of the sleeping girl who was part of his last exhibition at Utopian Slumps.
Conor O'Brien's photography is of the ‘snapshot' variety, in that he captures spontaneous moments using a small camera he carries in his pocket at all times. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Conor's photos always feel calm and considered, never poking fun at his subjects but always celebrating their beauty.
In this brand new body of work, the final in the series from his time in Melbourne (the preceding Hold On To Each Other was shown in part locally at Utopian Slumps and in full at the ACP in Sydney), O'Brien continues in a familiar vein, yet there is an increased sense of getting away from it all rather than stying in the thick of things. Campsites and forest walks feature prominently, as well as the streets of Fitzroy.
What, then, to make of the title? Perhaps Conor is hinting at a conscious direction of his lens towards the natural world. Or maybe he is merely requesting a Carlton Draught. The Serps Press books Hold On To Each Other and There Stands the Glass, by Conor O'Brien will be launched to coincide with this exhibition.