Sydney Living Museums presents ‘Iridescent by Gerwyn Davies’ 

Opening on December 4, The Museum of Sydney will play host to Iridescent by Gerwyn Davies, an exhibition of bold and exciting photographic works that reimagine the stories of the past, presented by Sydney Living Museums. 

The exhibition will feature a collection of large-scale portraits that give new life to the stories of 12 different historic properties that are under the care of Sydney Living Museums and NSW State Archives. 

Queer photographic artist and costume maker Gerwyn Davies has created the works through the lens of her signature style and flair.

She has used each property’s setting as a stage for storytelling, aiming to create works that shed light on the history of each property, including its inhabitants, how they lived and the events that took place there. 

In a bid to explore the true breadth of Sydney's history, Davies has chosen to draw inspiration from the properties’ lesser-known histories, and then to use costume and camera to create scenes that celebrate the subplots or smaller moments that occurred in these historic homes, gardens and archives.

With a penchant for ambiguity, Davies has chosen to conceal the subjects' face from view, so that the pose and the composition can tell the story. 

Davies shared, “I’d like visitors to think about how history presented for them is a construction, and if they’re excluded from it, they can explore creative ways in which they might engage with the story.”

“In the seeming absence of identifiable heroes, they can fabricate their own, which is what I’ve done.”

One of the portraits has been set at Vaucluse House, and the portrait has been informed by the story of former resident Sarah Wentworth, who found herself being shunned by the colony’s social elite.

The monochrome costume that features in the portrait, which mimics the courtyard’s tiling, appears in stark contrast with the house’s 19th century interiors, and in turn, reflecting the way Wentworth found herself at odds with her world. 

Speaking on the work, Davies shared, “There’s a desperation in Sarah Wentworth’s story – about living in opulence, surrounded by tropical arcadia and yet being socially ostracised. It’s sad,. 

“Prolonged tension, where the viewer is searching for something in the image but is unable to access, identify or categorise who or what is in the picture, is critical to my work.” 

In a first for the artist, the costumes that feature in the portraits will also be displayed alongside each photographic work. 

Adam Lindsay, Execturive Director of Sydney Living Museums and NSW State Archives has shared his thoughts on Iridescent, saying, “This is a truly robust and yet whimsical and witty exhibition - we know visitors will delight in discovering the stories underneath the amazing visual works. 

The exhibition is scheduled to run for six months, at which point the works will be acquired into the Museum of Sydney’s collection. 

To learn more information about the exhibition, you can visit the website here.