HER a photographic exhibition

Opening night Wednesday August the 9th

6 - 9pm

Sydney photographers Nyk Sykes, Jessica Matino, Dan “Ears” O'toole and Catherine Hourihan come together for “HER”, an exhibition showing the psychological interior and external physicality of women. “HER” mixes sexuality, beauty, poignancy and mystery all in one room at M2 gallery - not to be missed!

Light is a central component for Catherine Hourihan and Dan O’toole. O’toole’s series, Bending Light explores how light, colour and form can be manipulated to augment reality. The female subject in this series seems to exist between dimensions, elusive and fragile but powerfully haunting. He utilises props and lighting in the form of translucent coloured plastics, coloured fabrics and patterned materials. Then uses mirrors and specific camera angles to capture the portraits on 35mm/11mm film.

Hourihan mixes coloured and white light and covers her subjects in white body paint. Working also with low light she creates subtle tonal gradations. The subsequent light and dark imagery investigates perceptions of purity and the shadow side of the psyche. She draws on her dance background to make arresting, sensual, visceral imagery that explores sexuality, ageing, and mortality from a female perspective.

Nyk Sykes and Jessica Matino document women in show business, Sykes is a renowned photographer who has been documented the fashion scene for decades. His work transcends typical fashion documentary, he manages to capture a sense of poetry and mystery in the very challenging live context. He is inspired by the historical meaning of glamour, originally a Scottish word “gramarye”, that referred to magic, enchantment and
spell.

Matino documents the secret world of transformation that exists backstage in the Sydney burlesque scene capturing candid, poignant, and humorous moments. "For I conclude that the enemy is not lipstick but guilt itself; we deserve lipstick if we want it AND free speech. We deserve to be sexual and serious or whatever we please..." This quote by Naomi Wolf encapsulates the sentiment the photographer feels towards this body of work

Exhibition will be open to the public until Sunday August the 13th