Concrete Playground

The current shows at the ACP present the diversity of contemporary photographic practice. In Francesca Rosa’s Interior Disaster we see still-life compositions that provide documentation of a decomposing household. Familiar things like mattress quilting, linoleum and dated kitchen tiles make a delicate contrast to the devastating effects of Cyclone Larry.

Gallery 3 holds Christopher Ireland’s portrait series, Breathe. The Sydney-based photographer captures the faces of women who have lost their husbands to asbestos-related diseases, creating poignant images full of loss, sadness and hope.

Finally, a dramatic counterpoint to the domestic and intimate is provided by the jaw-dropping, large-scale aerial mining landscapes by Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. While you’re aware that you’re looking at the massacred landscape of Western Australia, their beauty is undeniable.


Image: Edward Burtynsky, Otter Juan Coronet Mine #1 Kalgoorlie, Western Australia 2007.