Joel Markham, SUITE 16, Recent Photography

Joel Markham SUITE 16 Recent Photography A digital presentation to complement the exhibition at The Curious Rabbit, Wagga Wagga February 2022

Suite 16 is a collection of photographs that presents everyday subject matter in a different light.

At night, the world is familiar yet changed, due largely to the absence of light, and in pondering the human experience of negotiating such a duality, the Suite 16 photographs inevitably reference the changed world we have been living in courtesy of Covid-19.

Joel Markham, Summer 2022

WELCOME TO SUITE 16 When my Nocturne exhibition closed at The Curious Rabbit in March 2021, I knew instinctively as an artist that my pursuit of the night was far from over.

Accordingly, as autumn morphed into winter, I found myself once again heading out at the end of the day - my camera in hand - to explore and capture the transformation of everyday subject matter that the night ushers in.

If photography is popularly perceived as painting with light, shooting at night – when there is an obvious paucity of light – sounds like the equivalent of asking for trouble. But embracing challenges in the pursuit of untapped riches is part of what artists do, and accordingly, in the course of the Nocturne project and the Suite 16 photography, I have been obliged to reconsider my relationship with my camera and overhaul my understanding of light like never before.

And because the technical and conceptual facets of practice are enmeshed, working at night has inevitably challenged the conceptual choices I have been making as well.

In presenting a world that is familiar yet changed – by shooting everyday subject matter at night - Suite 16 consciously raises the spectre of the changes that have permeated our world courtesy of Covid-19, and while this facet of the work is implied rather than imposed, for me as the maker, it is a critical component of the conceptual depth with which the project is imbued.

The Suite 16 exhibition consists of sixteen photographs, presented in four clusters of four around The Curious Rabbit’s gallery space. While the human experience of negotiating a familiar yet changed world is at the heart of the work, the human presence within the photographs is almost non-existent. What is presented instead is a succession of cinematic-looking ‘stills’ that appear to be awaiting the arrival of their ‘protagonists’. Perhaps unexpectedly, these protagonists eventually arrive in the form of those viewing the photographs; it is, after all, your presence and engagement that validate the photographs’ take on the night and bring the human experience of it to life.

Significantly, Suite 16 is not about repeating what I have already achieved with my previous body of work – it is about building on Nocturne and actively extending both the technical and conceptual facets of my practice.

In propelling me forward as an artist, the work is also intended to provide an audience of locals, visitors and online guests with an engaging, timely and provocative visual arts experience – one that hopefully enriches the cultural landscape of the community and region in which I choose to live and work.

Joel Markham Summer 2022

FROM EASTERN RIVERINA ARTS Joel Markham is a practicing artist in Wagga Wagga with a string of successful exhibitions under his belt. His latest body of work builds on the themes and practices developed for his 2021 exhibition Nocturne.

Both bodies of work represent a unique and evolving lens into the Covid situation as it unfolds in Regional NSW, presenting snapshots of an important historical moment, in a form that is both documentary and expressive.

Joel’s night-time photographs capture scenes of lockdown isolation, evoking the unease, quietude, disconnection and occasional transcendence at play.

Dr Tim Kurylowicz, Executive Director, Eastern Riverina Arts, Summer 2022

SUITE 16 PHOTOGRAPHY

Bruised, 2020, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

The turning, 2021, Archival pigment print, 60 x 40 cm

Downtown, 2021, Archival pigment print, 60 x 40 cm

La nuit, 2021, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

Sentinels, 2021, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

Trepidation, 2021, Archival pigment print, 60 x 40 cm

Travellers all, 2021, Archival pigment print, 60 x 40 cm

The flicks, 2021, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

Le cirque, 2021, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

Thoroughfare, 2021, Archival pigment print, 60 x 40 cm

Trackside, 2021, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

Below, 2021, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

Pont de nuit, 2021, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

The wall, 2021, Archival pigment print, 60 x 40 cm

Night shift, 2021, Archival pigment print, 60 x 40 cm

Le cygne, 2021, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 cm

Joel Markham

Perspective

...is a practicing and exhibiting photographer based in Wagga Wagga NSW, where he uses the content and contexts of daily life to ruminate on ‘big picture’ issues like the human condition, the nature of our journey and the terrain through which it passes. Joel’s practice is driven by a fundamental need for creative exploration and expression, and from 2016-20, it was complemented by his work as a sessional lecturer at Charles Sturt University’s Wagga Wagga campus.

It is ultimately Joel’s creative work - beyond the academic - that evidences his profound self-reflective practice as an artist. His work manifests as a genuine, honest and truly heartfelt expression of his philosophical musings, which are worthy of our reflective thought.

While Suite 16 is Joel’s second exhibition at The Curious Rabbit - the first being Nocturne in 2021 - his previous bodies of work include Heaven and Earth (2019), Time and Place (2017) and The Quest (2014), which were shown at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, and The Makers (2016), which was shown at Eastern Riverina Arts.

In terms of qualifications, Joel holds a Master of Arts Practice in Photomedia, a BA in Graphic Design with Class 1 Honours and a Bachelor of Teaching, all from CSU.

Joel uses simple but effective signature devices that deftly avoid cliché, such as allegorical and symbolic gestures, as well as apparent objectivity. These inspire metaphorical connections between his images by acting as visual isolators, often removing subjects from context and allowing the viewer to concentrate on the bigger picture.

The result is deceptively simple images that work to broaden Joel’s own reflections on what matters, to allow us all to contemplate what matters to us as well.

Dr Jamie Holcombe Summer 2022

Sales Each of the SUITE 16 photographs is available in a limited edition of five.

The photographs are printed on Canson Platine Fibre Rag and framed behind glass with white windows and matt, black frames. They have the potential to complement a range of residential and commercial settings.

Each framed photograph is priced at $495.

Please direct all enquiries to Vickie Burkinshaw at The Curious Rabbit - in person or by phoning (02) 6921 5391.

Thank you for supporting Joel Markham Photography!

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