Eye on Afghanistan and Canberra in a matchbox

This weekend I went down to PhotoAccess to catch two of their shows Eye on Afghanistan and Canberra in a matchbox before they closed.

First, Eye on Afghanistan. It contains photographs from 4 different photographers, Palwesha Yusaf, Virginia Haussegger, Sanaz Fotouhi and Gary Ramage. The photographs as you begin as vibrant, full of life, character and culture. I enjoyed the painterly light of Haussegger's photographs  that reminds me of Caravaggio's work.

As you walk through the exhibition you get an understanding of the people and begin to relax looking into the curious, proud and smiling faces staring back at you from the wall. One minute you are smiling at a young girl still remembering the feisty, dancing children from earlier, then you turn your head to see you have been pulled from these pleasant scenes to stand before a triage unit as army doctors struggle to help an injured soldier. And just like that it has all changed. Gone are the cheerful times, the happy faces, in it's place lay children in hospital beds with missing limbs, soldiers carrying a fallen comrade and everywhere guns at attention.

It's hard to call a photograph of an injured child beautiful but Ramage has brought a beauty to the harsh realities of this war. The arrangement of photographs in the gallery shock us from the peaceful times and images just as the inhabitants of the country must have been. In each image we see a person, a human life we can connect with. Between that emotional connection and the technical use of light and colour of these images are beautiful and wonderful presented to draw you in and get you feel for these people.

Second, Canberra in a matchbox. This was the most recent member's show which showcases works by various local artist inside of Redhead matchboxes. The only confine of the work was that the photographs needed to be taken in the ACT and the print needed to fit inside the matchbox. The variety of images and styles shows how different people think of Canberra and their life there. It was quite an interesting show with photographs ranging from landscapes of the city to a series that depicted a day in someone's life here in the city. Assignments with just a few restrictions can really allow people to be creative and this show was a success with that.

If it weren't for the fact that both show closed on Sunday I would recommend a viewing of them both so instead I'll say keep an eye out for the next show opening at PhotoAccess soon.