Up-and-coming photographers at Christchurch Art Gallery

Jordana Bragg What do you fight for? 2016. Archival pigment print. Collection of the artist.

Up-and-coming photographers feature at Christchurch Art Gallery

Christchurch Art Gallery’s latest exhibition puts the lens over nine local and talented young artists forging new paths with their cameras.

The Devil’s Blind Spot: Recent Strategies in New Zealand Photography is the latest show in the Gallery’s long-standing tradition of curating works of emerging and early-career artists.

“It considers how a group of New Zealand artists born in the 1980s and 90s — who have come of age in the digital era — use a range of strategies to make photographic art today,” says senior curator Lara Strongman.

“Some use old-fashioned film cameras, others manipulate computer data; some make photobooks, while others make installations. Each represents a different kind of engagement with the contemporary, offering a reflection on present culture.”

Ms Strongman says photographic practice by artists has never been stronger in New Zealand.

“Photography is the standout visual medium of our time. We’re bombarded by images and saturated with ‘gifs’ and ‘jpgs’. Smartphones have pushed a camera into everyone’s hands, and the Internet has made us publishers and consumers of images like never before.”

“It’s truly an exciting time for photography, and The Devil’s Blind Spot is a chance to sample some of New Zealand’s best young and up-and-coming artists behind the lens.”

The Devil’s Blind Spot: Recent Strategies in New Zealand Photography is on display at Christchurch Art Gallery until 12 March 2017. Entry is free.

ENDS

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