Pamela Pauline illuminates our City and Surf @ Juniper Hall

It is not every day that one walks into an art show and finds themselves proud of their country and how it’s being represented. This feeling was almost overwhelming when I walked into Juniper Hall and saw the photographs of celebrated artist Pamela Pauline.

Her show ‘City and Surf‘, that began at the beginning of August at Juniper Hall, is a resounding celebration and profound respect of the city and surf culture of Australia, done in a way that I believe has never been done before. It is captivating right from the get go, drawing you in with it’s mysteriousness and eeriness.

For this particular series, Pauline has employed the use of archival inkjet pigment print. This medium is a type of computer printing that recreates a digital image by propelling ink onto the canvas in droplets. This method can be done on either paper or plastic. This way of producing art was developed in the 19th century and was refined in the 1950’s.

Inkjet pigment print is a fantastic way to produce photographs purely because it won’t compromise the picture in terms of its size. The picture will be produced clearly, without modifications and to any size.

The reason why this is important to note is because when I first looked at the artworks, they looked like they had been painted by hand, yet they still looked like a photograph. It was exquisite and delicate and left no detail left out of the picture.

What stands out the most from the surf photographs is the majestic strength that exudes from the pictures. They are magnificent and almost feel otherworldly with the way the surf stands up and fills the majority of the space on the canvas. It shows off the wild side of Australia’s famous beaches and how we shouldn’t take them lightly.

Another aspect of the show that is a really nice nod to the Australian culture is the acknowledgement of our surfing community. In particular, I refer to photograph number 8 called ‘Anticipation’. A single surfboard against a black and white background that emulates a surfer waiting for the precise moment to enter the water and being their surf.

With the powerful surf comes the stoic city. The City of Sydney has always been thought of as vibrant and constantly moving, but I find that Pauline has employed a different approach to viewing the city. Instead of the bright blue sky against the white of our Opera House and grey of our Harbour Bridge, we are offered a city in black and white.

The photos are quiet; so clean and dark, an almost forbidding feeling. Yet they are so simple and it reminds us that our icons can stand alone. We don’t need to show off our beautiful weather and happy demeanour, our city is powerful enough. There is no noise coming from the photographs. It’s like this is a representation of what our city would be like if it was silent.

This strength from the buildings contrast so beautifully against the white frames that bring such a fantastic modern side to the photographs.

Paired with the defiant buildings are witty names for each artwork. I find the labelling of the Sydney Opera House and the name ‘Moonlight Sonata’ quite adorable. Fitting for a music hall of such greatness and a song that is as powerful as its composer.

I particularly liked ending my Pamela Pauline ‘Under the Weather’ exhibition with the lovely set of sunrise photographs. The light reflecting off the clouds were a magically touch to such a simple concept. We do have some of the most beautiful sunrises/sunsets in the world and these works are just another example of how Pauline is showing off Australia.

The whole exhibition is so simple in its delivery to save for a maximum impact from the artworks themselves. As always, Juniper Hall has let the space speak for itself and let the artworks take over the house. Each portrait is framed in white, and united with the white walls it keeps each subject unique.

I also liked how the curator has spaced the artworks. There isn’t too many on each wall so things aren’t crowded and I could appreciate each work as an individual.

As per usual, my expectations were met by such an exquisite little photography show that left me feeling proud of my countries city and surf culture. Australia often gets put into a label of being simple and uncomplicated, but this show proves that we have a deeper side to our culture and that our city and our beaches can’t always be taken so lightly.

This expertly put together exhibition will be running at Juniper Hall until the 30th of August.

For more information, check out the Juniper Hall website here.