Beta issue 20

developments in photography

JULY 2016

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BETA developments in photography ISSUE 20 editor: Jeff Moorfoot design: Penelope Anne contact: betadevelopmentsinphotography@gmail.com All content in this magazine is Š2016 BETA developments in photography and the contributing artists and may not be reproduced with the express written permission of BETA developments in photography save for fair dealing for the purposes of research, study, criticism, review and reporting news.

All other rights are reserved

developments in photography We invite submissions for potential inclusion in BETA developments in photography. Send a zipped folder no larger than 5MB containing 20 - 30 thumbnail images from a cohesive body of work to betadevelopmentsinphotography@gmail.com for consideration. If we like what we see we’ll be in touch.

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Matjaz Krivic

Shen Chao-Liang

URBANISTAN

Matjaz Krivic is a documentary photographer specializing in capturing the personality and grandeur of indigenous people and places. For 18 years he has covered the face of the earth in his intense, personal and aesthetically moving style that has won him several prestigious awards. He has made the road his home and most of the time you can find him traveling with his camera somewhere between Sahara and Himalaya.

His stories of planet Earth, its temples, illusions, our efforts, needs and afflictions, which he recorded at different parts of the world, establish links with the subtlety of our parallel archetype worlds and expanding the space of inspiration, as well as our empathy and tolerance towards the known and unknown cultural space.

Matjaz’s photographs, multi-media projects and public installations have been exhibited internationally since 1999 with solo exhibitions in Russia, China, Tibet, Croatia and Slovenia, and group exhibitions in UK, Australia, Russia, USA, France, England, Ireland, Israel, Finland, Italy, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia.

Awards Include: “World Press Photo” - Portrait singles, Second Prize 2016 “Travel photographer of the year” Amazing Places Winner 2010 “Slovenia Press Photo” Culture & Entertainment Winner 2010 “Geographical Photographer of the year” Landscape Winner 2003 “Geographical Photographer of the year” Overall Winner 2002

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STAGE

Shen Chao-Liang was born in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1968. His works focus on the social landscapes and life conditions and the realities of the day.

He strives through photography to formulate reader consciousness while at the same time fostering dialogue.

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RECENT IMAGES Jan Staller

Soon after moving Manhattan in 1976 Jan Staller began to photograph the West Side Highway. It was there, working with a mixture of natural and artificial light, he made twilight images of desolate streetscapes against bizarrely hued skies. By the mid 80s, Staller had been mostly photographing in New Jersey. Working out of a Land Rover equipped with a generator, he would set up powerful stadium lighting to illuminate the industrial and suburban landscape.

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FACADES Rob Walls

Rob Walls has been a professional photographer for over 50 years. In a continuing career, he has worked on assignment for numerous Australia and international publications including Time, Newsweek and the New York Times. Since 2010 he has been working on a long term project documenting working life in Australia

Around 2003, Staller began photographing in overcast weather utilizing the transformative qualities of shadowless illumination and colorless skies. In 2011, his work changed again: using telephoto lenses to bring distant subjects near, details were isolated against a pure white background, eliminating context details of the surrounding landscape.

Unprepossessing objects and materials, placed within the pure white rectangle of the photograph became studies of color, line, form and material. By 2013, Staller returned to photographing in Manhattan, principally the construction boom currently reshaping the city skyline. These images, his most reductive, are nominally about construction materials and implements, yet in these new images, they are akin to drawing and painting. About this time, Staller began making videos with a digital SLR camera.

Currently Staller is making both still and video imagery.

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Beta Alumni AL RAWI Basil ASFAR Hoda ALTMAN Ben AZHAR CHE’ AHMAD BACON KIDWELL Angela BARKER Mandy BECKER Craig BIRD Leon BLACKWOOD Christa BLANCH Alice BODIN John BOGUE Terence Stewart BONANNO Simona BURNSTINE Susan CAGA Jan CARLILE Brad CARTIER F & D CASH Neil CATO John HE Chang CHASKIELBERG Alejandro COCKBURN GARY CONROY Juliette CRAVER Neil CRESPO Carlos CRISPIN Judith DATTO ARKO DAWSON Alec DE MAAR Marrigje DECYK Slavo DHERVILLERS Nicolas DIAZ Francisco

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DINIZ Jose DOBSON Susan DUNPHY Peter DUPONT Stephen DYACHYSHYN Yurko ELMS Greg FAHRENKEMPER Claudia FOURNET Annette GLATTAUER Silvi GOLDFINCH Karena GOLLINGS John GRIES Patrick GRIFFITH Tim HARDING PITTMAN Robert HARMAN Amanda HARRIS Sam HARSENT Simon HAY John HEWITT Tony HOLLOWAY Craig HOPE Tim HORAN Keith JACKSON Tony JOREN Gerhard JOSLIN Russell KANASHKEVIC Mitchell KATSAROVA Boryana KEARNEY Tony KEEVER KIM KELLNER Thomas KIRKPATRICK Bear KOZHANOVA Mariya

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view back issues at issuu.com/ballarat_foto_biennale/ KRUGH Kent KURLAT Galina LECHNER Jurgen LIPSKY Clay LONG Jane MACAK Sonia MACRAE Sheena MALEONN MARCIN Ben MARSHALL Steve MASON Belinda MASTERS Michael McCAIG Amber MELDER Keith MILLER Nathan MILLOTT Richard MORAN Robert NORTON Michael O’SHEA Meredith PAGE Colin PAINE Jeff PAYNE Christopher PERETTI Viviana RANKEN Jackie Ransom & Mitchell RASMANIS Kara ROGERS PRITZL Michelle ROPP William ROSS Doc ROTHE Frank RUOTED Robert SCHAFFER Rod

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SCHEURWATER Hester SCIBELLI Anthony SCRIBA J SHAYEN Vikk SHEPPARD Gary SHERROD Judy F SHIM Jai Yon SIMONUTTI Lauren SMALLMAN John STERNBACH JONI STEVENS S Gayle STONEMAN Emma SUNDET Dida TACON Dave TADROS Ingetje THOMSON Matt VANNIER Michéle VANWALLEGHEM Frederick VERSTEEG Greer VINCIGUERRA Guy VLASENKO Vsevolod VUKOBRATOVIC Rina WADDINGTON Rod WERTHEIM Andres WILLIAMS David A WILLIAMS Michelle WITMAN Deanna WRIGLEY Ben PANG Xiang Liang ZAMMIT LUPI Darrin ZEILON Elisabeth

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URBANISTAN the story of a quiet loudness MATJAZ KRIVIC

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As soon as you hear the word Urbanistan your imagination is whisked off into the traffic mayhem of Calcutta, the tawdriness of the neon sex nightlife in Bangkok, the unbelievable structuralized yet frenzied Tokyo, the suffocating and dusty streets of the (hardly) living body of the decaying Cairo, the roundabout of the hedonistic and aggressive Rio, the unstoppable narcissistic Manhattan, the global supermarket of turbo consumerism.

story that speaks of the indestructible spirit and the eternal search of inspiration that enables survival. It is a story of individuals and social groups who, putting aside the racket and general urban angst, keep searching for the core of existence in a different space and a different time. It is a story of survival through play, prayer, tradition, rituals, travels, socializing and especially, a special light, that the author of the exhibition sees and records so well.

However, Matjaž Krivic’s Urbanistan is a miraculous anti-thesis to all this. It is a story from the other side – a story of the quiet loudness on the margins of total existential, religious, economic and geopolitical chaos. A

Urbanistan is a space that allows you to take a breather from the city. Any city.

PREVIOUS Shugruf, Yemen Thulla, Yemen

Text: Bostjan Videmsek

Shugruf, Yemen

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Ihasa, Tibet

Ihasa, Tibet

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PREVIOUS Ihasa, Tibet Fes, Morocco

Fes, Morroco

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Hatgal, Mongolia

Ulan Bator, Mongolia

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PREVIOUS Dipayal Silgadhi, Nepal Katmandu, Nepal

Djenne, Mali

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Djenne, Mali

Varanasi , India

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PREVIOUS Varanasi, India Varanasi, India

Varanasi, India

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PREVOUS PAGE Uramanakht, Iran Varanasi, India

Amritsar, India

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PREVIOUS Varanasi, India Taj Mahal, India

Taj Mahal, India NEXT PAGE Uramanakht, Iran

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WEBSITES

• krivic.com • urbanistan.net

STAGE

SHEN CHAO-LIANG

Since the 1970s, Taiwan society has developed its own cabaret culture which is different from those of the Western countries. In the early years, performers were invited to perform entertainment programs, often in the form of singing and dancing, in a variety of occasions, ranging from wedding banquets or funerals to religious ceremonies. In order to move conveniently around the country, they chose to perform in a simple “theater” - usually in a camp or on a truck renovated specifically for the performance. The form then became the origin of a unique Taiwanese cabaret culture.

This photographic project started in early 2005 with an intention to record the important culture of Taiwan that has witnessed countless changes as Taiwan has gradually developed into a modern economy. Among the various cabaret artists I recorded with my camera and had interviews with, most of them have other professions and different “social status” when off stage, such as school teachers, college students, or bank clerks. Underneath their colorful make-up and sexy luxurious costumes, they are only simple normal people who have their dreams and hopes for a better life. The findings present a gap from the general perception of cabaret artists in Taiwan.

At the exhibition, the presentation of the photos featuring various cabaret groups, artists and “truck theaters” is intended to be a “window” for the viewers, especially those who are not familiar with the performances, to glance and appreciate the unique part of Taiwanese culture. The “truck theaters” presented at this exhibition are either the most popular or some unique ones used in cabaret performances today; some have been re-designed or renovated several times since early 1990s. It is my hope that, through the “window” of these colorful “truck theaters” and cabaret performers, the diverse and rich elements of Taiwanese culture will be introduced to more people from around the world.

PREVIOUS STAGE #1 Lightjet C Print 雲林.台灣 Yunlin County, Taiwan 雲林.台湾 2008 42

STAGE #2 Lightjet C Print 雲林.台灣 Yunlin County, Taiwan 雲林.台湾 2008

STAGE #4 Lightjet C Print 嘉義.台灣 Chiayi County, Taiwan 嘉義.台湾 2008

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STAGE #7 Lightjet C Print 苗栗.台灣 Miaoli County, Taiwan 苗栗.台湾 2010

STAGE #9 Lightjet C Print 台南.台灣 Tainan City, Taiwan 2009

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PREVIOUS STAGE #12 Lightjet C Print 彰化.台灣 Changhua County, Taiwan 彰化.台湾 2008 48

STAGE #14 Lightjet C Print 苗栗.台灣 Miaoli County, Taiwan 苗栗.台湾 2010

STAGE #15 Lightjet C Print 高雄.台灣 Kaohsiung County, Taiwan 高雄.台湾 2008

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PREVIOUS STAGE #21 Lightjet C Print 台南.台灣 Tainan County, Taiwan 台南.台湾 2009 52

STAGE #27 Lightjet C Print 新竹.台灣 Hsinchu County, Taiwan 新竹 2008

STAGE #43 Lightjet C Print 雲林.台灣 Yunlin County, Taiwan 雲林.台湾 2008

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PREVIOUS STAGE #46 Lightjet C Print 台南.台灣 Tainan City, Taiwan 台南.台湾 2009 56

STAGE #49 Lightjet C Print 雲林.台灣 Yunlin County, Taiwan 2008

STAGE #61 Lightjet C Print 嘉義.台灣 Chiayi County, Taiwan 嘉義.台湾 2008

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PREVIOUS STAGE #97 Lightjet C Print 台中.台灣 Taichuag County, Taiwan 台中.台湾 2011 60

STAGE #98 Lightjet C Print 台中.台灣 Taichuag City, Taiwan 台中.台湾 2011

STAGE #103 Lightjet C Print 花蓮.台灣 Hualien County, Taiwan 花蓮.台湾 2011

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STAGE #115 Lightjet C Print 嘉義.台灣 Chiayi County, Taiwan 2012

STAGE #117 Lightjet C Print 高雄.台灣 Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 2013 NEXT STAGE #118 Lightjet C Print 台南.台灣 Tainan City, Taiwa 2013

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WEBSITE • shenchaoliang.com • facebook.com/chaoliang.shen

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Recent Images JAN STALLER In my photographs, structures, various objects and raw materials that I find in the environment become the stuff of sculpture or drawing. The sources of my imagery have been found most anywhere- from nuclear test sites of the U.S. Government to vacant lots. Influenced by contemporary artists working in the minimalist canon, as well as abstract photographs of artists like Callahan, Siskind and Metzker. I see my subject matter as found sculpture and drawing. I am looking at materials with the formalist concerns of a sculptor, but rather than making a construction to place in a gallery, I use photography to evince drawing or sculpture. Unlike the photographers mentioned whose black and white works tended to have a strong graphic presence, my color photographs also exploit the illusion of space found in abstract painting.

The reductive nature of my most recent-images has been evolving over several decades. But, perhaps most consistent in my work is my use of expressive nature of photography rather than its potential of accurate rendition. My earliest photographs used mixed light sources and atmospheric weather to make uncanny and theatrical images of the urban landscape. Later, when I used powerful stadium lighting in the field, it was in a manner similar to using light in the studio, thus emphasizing particular qualities that could only be done with a controllable artificial light source.

Over the years, the subject matter in my work has been consistent: Landscape featuring human activities and artifacts.

Instead of limiting myself to the depiction of intrinsically interesting objects, my most effective work derives interest from parts of our world that most would pass by without notice.

By employing my sensitivities to light, atmosphere and the the dynamic qualities of the photographic medium, I explore the potential of photography to change our perceptions of what our eyes see.

West Side Highway Snow, 1978

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Spray, 2013

Scarf, 2013

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Mended Fence Drawing, 2007

Twisted Fence Drawing, 2007

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Grid Wall Culvert Tubes, 2009

Pin Wheels, 2010

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PREVIOUS Multiform 2, 2014 Telegraphy, 2012

After Fred Illusion, 2012

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Black Cast Iron Pipes, 2012

Crane Hook, 2013

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Sonotubes, 2013

God Squad, 2013

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PREVIOUS Wooden Spools, 2013 Giverny, 2014

l’Observatoire, 2013

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Electric Necklace, 2015

Static, 2014

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WEBSITES • janstaller.net/photo/recent-images • janstaller.net/video/redwhite

Long Island Water Works, 1991

Facades ROB WALLS

In the last six years, in photographing work in Australia, Rob Walls has covered more than 70,000 kilometres by road. Facades is a series that evolved organically from within the Working Life project.

Always fascinated by the way humans leave their imprint on the urban landscape, he realised that showing the places where people work had to be an integral aspect of the project.

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PREVIOUS Corner shop, Broken Hill Workshop, Leeton, NSW

But commercial facades are more than just pleasing architectural compositions. Facades both historic and modern, carry within them a subtle record of the economic and social history of a region. They tell much about the changing fortunes of the town and cities they occupy.

They speak of the migration of people from the country to the big cities and sometimes the reverse; they tell of the revival of a rural community. New, formerly unimagined modern

businesses such as internet service providers occupy old Victorian buildings; video stores that relied for their survival on the VHS tape or the DVD, become obsolete overnight. Yet, still some businesses manage the transition to the modern era by keeping pace with commercial evolution. This is the history that is embedded in this record

Miners’ Co-op Store, Lightning Ridge, NSW

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Newspaper office, Tenterfield, NSW

Theatre, Deepwater, NSW

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Commercial premises, Yanco, NSW

Patent medicine advertising, Hunter Valley, NSW

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PREVIOUS Supermarket, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne Bank buidling, Snowtown, South Australia

Gilgandra, NSW

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Butcher Shop, Mount Magnet, WA

Workshop, Miling, WA

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PREVIOUS Pink Roadhouse, South Australia General Store, Rainbow, Victoria

Fast Food, Victoria

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General Store, Rainbow, Victoria

Nhill, Victoria

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Old shop, Whyalla, South Australia

Catholic Church, Jeparit, Victoria

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Op-shop, Glebe

WEBSITE thisworkinglife.wordpress.com •