Elizabeth Looker is an award-winning photographer whose work and exhibitions range from ethereal to commercial, portraiture to experimental, landscape to raw human forms. Empathy and authenticity in her approach and process allow her to connect to the essence of her subjects. Her work, ‘Life Dancers’, won Australia’s National Photographic Portrait Prize, 2016, and it has just been announced that she is a finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize, 2019.
Elizabeth has just returned from two months in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she was an artist-in-residence at KONSTEPIDEMIN ‘Epidemic of Art’, Sweden’s biggest workplace for independent artists.
Her photographic project while there was inspired and informed by her Swedish ancestor, Charles Haag, whose acclaimed early 20th century American exhibition, ‘The Spirits of the Woods’, honoured the strength, humility, grace and persistence of humanity in sculpted mahogany, willow and oak.
Working collaboratively with international dancers from the GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, Elizabeth set out to catch, through her lens, the spirit of her subjects; to connect so as to see beyond the flesh; to see and capture their energy and core. During several extraordinary shoots in her Gothenburg studio, catalytic conversations took place which took photographer and her subjects on a journey of self-discovery, creating profound, cathartic experiences for both.
Generous support from Minderoo Foundation helped provide Elizabeth with the freedom to experiment technically and challenge herself conceptually. The result, ‘THE SPIRIT AND THE FLESH’, shows just how far she has travelled as an artist; the new work exhibits a higher level of understanding, and a greater appreciation of the power of photography.
Following on from Elizabeth’s successful J Shed exhibition, ‘Introspective’, in 2016, her new show, ‘THE SPIRIT AND THE FLESH’, will open at Kidogo Arthouse, Bathers Beach, Mews Road, Fremantle at 6:00 PM on Thursday, December 6th, 2018.
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