Picture this

Arguably the most immediately powerful art form of the past 100 years, photography has enjoyed a real surge in popularity recently thanks to a number of specialised exhibitions showcasing it. That popularity will be on display this month, as the Western Australian city of Fremantle hosts one of the biggest photographic events staged in this country, with FotoFreo 06.

Three times bigger than the first FotoFreo held in 1996, this year’s event includes a major international drawcard in the form of renowned American photographer Douglas Kirkland, who will be visiting Australia for the event; as well as presenting two exhibitions – Face to Face and Looking into the World of Movies.

Face to Face presents iconic images by Kirkland of his favourite subjects: movie stars. Kirkland says that he has had a great deal of fun and occasional frustration working with the stars. "I have enjoyed them, fallen in love with them, occasionally been irritated by oversized egos, and on a few occasions they have become personal friends. But finally, for me, working in this world is most importantly about making the images rather than being impressed by any names. Frequently, my subjects have gotten as excited about an image as I have when we’ve achieved success together. They become part of the creative process as much as I have been and we celebrate together."

Looking into the World of Movies delves into Kirkland’s “other” career, as a set designer. Over the last 50 years, Kirkland has worked on the set of more than a 100 motion pictures. "One never knows what surprise will lie around the next corner”, he says. “From a lion walking through the camp at night during the filming of ‘Out of Africa’ to balancing off the top of the highest building in San Francisco with Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas." These images in the exhibition are a selection of some of these moments.

FotoFreo heads will also present exciting new work from China in Transformations: New Chinese Photography. Rapid economic growth and frantic urban development have seen the country’s geographical and cultural landscape changing on a daily basis. This dynamism is reflected in the work of a new wave of Chinese photographic artists who have only recently started to emerge onto the international scene since the start of the new millennium. This exhibition includes works that are ambitious in scale and experimental in form from twelve of China’s leading photographic artists. It presents a complex picture of a culture in transition, as artists adventurously come to terms with a loss of traditional values, and the rise of popular culture and new technologies.

Anne Zahalka will be the subject of a survey exhibition at FotoFreo. Titled Welcome to Wonderland, the show incorporates recent work by Zahalka, including works from Leisureland, Natural Wonders and her new exhibition Wonderland.

Professional photographers from Australia and New Zealand will compete in the Canon Australian Professional Photographers Awards. The Canon APPA attracts over 1800 entries and, apart from the premier award of "The Canon Australian Professional Photographer of the Year", there are a range of special categories that include Advertising; Biomedical; Commercial/Industrial; Illustrative; Landscape; Press; Portrait and Wedding. Each year selected winning images are published in an Awards Book, and get included in the Canon AIPP Travelling Exhibition.

And future APPA winners can strut their stuff in Fujifilm Site Unseen 06; a presentation of some 200 photographs from Australia’s tertiary photography students. Inaugurating Site Unseen’s first year as a national student competition, the 1000 plus entries exhibit exceptional quality, befitting the cream of Australia’s best photography students. The Site Unseen 06 exhibition will tour nationally after FotoFreo ends.

FotoFreo 06 runs until April 15 at venues in Fremantle and Perth.

David Edwards

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FotoFreo 2006

Venue: Various venues in Fremantle and Perth
Dates: To 15 April 2006