News

Flawed Victorian photography speaks to the digital age

A backlash against digital photography is driving interest in all photos and processes.

14 Aug 2015

Gina Fairley

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Visual Arts

When anyone can snap a selfie or Photoshop out a problem, the imperfect world of analogue photography has a strange appeal.

Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–79) always knew there was something to be said for the errors inherent in analogue photography.

Cameron, whose work is explored in an exhibition opening this week at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), embraced imperfection, leaving fingerprints, streak marks and swirls of collodion (emulsion) on her negatives.

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Gina Fairley

Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina