Cola
Gerwyn Davies
- Sitter: Gerwyn Davies
- Medium: Photograph
- Dimensions: 105cm x 135cm
- Representation: Jan Murphy Gallery (Brisbane) and Michael Reid Gallery (Sydney/Berlin)
About the artwork
Gerwin Davies works with elaborate and stylised costumed figures, often set in a constructed landscape, which subverts our expectations of a self-portrait by concealing the face.
“Where the camera is conventionally claimed to possess a unique capacity for revealing something of a subject to its viewer, in my own practice, I instead perform acts of queer photographic dis/appearance.
“My figure is buried beneath elaborate and shimmering costumes that mutually entice yet resist the viewer’s examination while the image itself is polished and manicured, often taking on a slick, implausible and synthetic glow.”
This propels the viewer to think about the construction of identity and branding, hence the prominance of the Pepsi logo. Playing with ideas of visibility and invisibility, the image points to the complexity of constructing and concealing identity in contemporary society.
“This double bind of a figure both conspicuously stood before the lens while remaining nowhere to be seen, reflects my ongoing interest in the potentials and powers of queer representational in/visibility through which subjects are able to pass before the camera un/seen.”
About the artist
Gerwyn Davies works across photography, costume and textiles. Born in Ipswich, he did a Bachelor of Photography and taught at QCA, Griffith University. He has had many solo exhibitions with Jan Murphy Gallery in Brisbane and Michael Reid Gallery in Sydney and Berlin. Last year, Gerwin Davies won the Olive Cotton Award for Photographic Portraiture. He has been represented in many competitions, done several residencies and his work is held in public and private collections. Now based in Sydney, Gerwin lectures in photomedia at UNSW and the National Art School. His PhD explored the aesthetics of camp and queer self-representation.
