A retrospective of the portraiture images of Rod McNicol is being held at Monash Gallery of Art in Melbourne until the end of August.
'Memento Mori', a retrospective of portrait photographer Rod McNicol’s images taken over a lifetime, is being staged at Monash Gallery of Art in Melbourne until August 31. McNicol has always concentrated on portraiture as a genre that highlights mortality.
For over three decades he has been inviting people from his inner-city community to put their lives on hold so he can capture them staring directly into the lens of his camera. The portraits McNicol has captured in his studio are at one level quite simple, but his philosophy has been to pare back any distracting elements.
In a book titled ‘The existential portrait’ released with the exhibition, McNicol tells how many years later he returned to several of his subjects to re-photograph them. He believes “they are faces that function as witnesses to the inescapable passing of time”. McNicol has shot a variety of subjects, and for a period of time worked in a cancer ward at a Melbourne hospital photographing subjects near to death, which had a profound effect upon him.
This exhibition surveys McNicol’s extended portrait project, from his early black-and-white prints through to his most recent colour portraits. McNicol has won several awards, including the National Photographic Portrait Prize in 2012, and the Australian Photographic Portrait Prize in 2004.
The MGA is located at 860 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill, Victoria, and entry is free. The gallery is open from Tuesday to Friday, from 10am to 5pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5pm. It is closed on public holidays.
For further details check out www.mga.org.au
'Jack, 2006' is part of the Monash Gallery of Art retrospective exhibition 'Memento Mori' by Rod McNicol.
'Meg, 1998', by Rod McNicol from the series 'Portraits from last century'.
'Tariro, 2011' by Rod McNicol, from the series 'Newcomers to my village'.