The shared experiences, influences, loves and beliefs of mother and daughter will be under scrutiny in an upcoming exhibition at Damien Minton Gallery in Redfern, NSW.
In this case, the mother-daughter bond is between two renowned Australian photographers – Olive Cotton and Sally McInerney – whose works are being exhibited together for the first time.
Cotton, who died in 2003, is one of the most celebrated early modernist women photographers in Australia. She was a childhood friend of Max Dupain, who she later married.
Cotton started exhibiting in Sydney from the early 1930s, photographing visiting celebrities and even Dupain at work in his studio. These years saw her produce a signature work, Tea Cup ballet (1935), which uses a technique of backlighting to cast bold shadows towards the viewer, conveying a dance theme between tea cups, saucers and their shadows.
She later embraced the themes of nature and daily country life when she moved to the Cowra district in central NSW, where she lived with her second husband.
The rural influence is evident in the works of her daughter Sally McInerney, an established photographer with seven solo exhibitions behind her.
She began taking photos at the age of eight with an old Box Brownie camera and many of her works express a love of nature and rural tranquility from her childhood years around Cowra.
Sally McInerney is an established and highly accomplished exhibiting photographic artist with seven solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions and publications to her credit. She was the winner of Sydney Life in 2012; winner of the Head On Photo Prize in 2006; and winner, at age 16, of the Sydney Morning Herald High School Prize for best black and white print. She has been photographing since the age of eight when a great-aunt gave her a Box Brownie camera.
Olive Cotton & Sally McInerney – Mother & Daughter: A Conversation is part of the Head On Photo Festival and runs from 13-24 May. The Damien Minton Gallery is at 583 Elizabeth Street, Redfern.
Opening hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 11am – 6pm. 
Fairground Ride. Photo by Olive Cotton.
Boy Charlton Pool and battleship. Photo by Sally McInerney.
Water Blossoms. Photo by Sally McInerney.