A retrospective of images by rock and roll photographer Tony Mott will be shown at the NSW State Library until February.
A major retrospective of images of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle in Australia, on and off the stage, which has been captured over 30 years by rock photographer Tony Mott, is on show at the State Library of NSW until February. The free exhibition What a Life! Rock Photography by Tony Mott (showing until February 7) presents over 300 images from Mott’s extensive archive, including international music icons like the Rolling Stones, Björk and Nirvana, as well as local acts like INXS, Cold Chisel, and Midnight Oil, and Australia’s independent band scene.
Mott started shooting rock performers in the early 1980s when he sold his first photo of the late Chrissy Amphlett of the Sydney rock band Divinyls. The British-born trained chef quickly established himself as a rock photographer with some of the biggest names in the business.
“Without Chrissy I wouldn’t have had a career,” says Mott. “I sort of stalked her with my camera to learn the art of rock photography. What a pleasure and pain it was!”
His photographs have appeared in more than 700 music magazines and street press journals including Rolling Stone, Juice, Drum Media, RAM and Juke. He has also provided photography for more than 450 singles, EPs and albums. Mott has a storehouse of memorable anecdotes from his years in the trade, including the time in 1988 he had to re-shoot a series for the band Guns N’ Roses after he forgot to put film in his camera!
He names as a career highlight his coverage of Mick Jagger’s solo tour of Australia in 1988, and two tours with the Rolling Stones as their official photographer.
The exhibition documents the changes to the live music scene from the 1990s and the impact of digital technology on the art of rock photography. The exhibition also features Big Day Out posters and pamphlets from the library’s collection, video footage and interactive elements where visitors have the opportunity to create their own rock moments. Mott’s new book, Alphabet A – Z: Rock ‘n’ Roll Photography by Tony Mott: Some Rock, Some Roll, Some Other Things, has been launched as part of the exhibition.
The NSW State Library exhibition galleries are located in Macquarie Street, Sydney, and are open from 9am to 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as 9am to 8pm on Thursdays, and 10am to 5pm on weekends.
Rock photographer Tony Mott began his career by following Chrissy Amphlett of the Sydney band Divinyls.
