F OREWO RD

Through his photographs, Murray Fredericks presents us with the beauty, power, and enormity of some of the most unique landscapes in the world.

More than a series depicting any one location though, these works are a study of isolation and our experiences of empty space.

SALT

300 [detail] 2006

Digital pigment print on cotton rag

120 x 300 cm

Edition of 7

This focus was shaped by five years spent traveling through distinctive locations such as the Middle East and in the Himalaya – trips that followed his studies in the altogether less beautiful fields of politics and economics.

While he has now completed both a Masters of Art and Masters of Fine Art at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, these qualifications came some time into his exhibiting career. Therefore, he is primarily selftrained; his early explorations of the camera coinciding with his journeys to various remote locations.

This exhibition is a sumptuous collection of shots from perhaps Fredericks’ most lauded series, SALT. Each photograph presents a unique view of Lake Eyre, the Australian outback’s uninterrupted dry salt pan. For many of us so accustomed to the urban environment, the brilliant sunrise and sunset; cracked red earth; the infinite expanse of the night sky combine to give the appearance of a completely alien and awe-inspiring location.

The artist made sixteen solo journeys to Lake Eyre between 2003 and 2010, at times spending as long as five weeks in complete solitude, absorbing the very essence of the location. His occupation of the space, and the repetition of his days there, were essential to his process of capturing the SALT series.

Widely celebrated, the works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and are collected in major public and private collections internationally. Confirming his place as one of the nation’s most significant contemporary photographers, Fredericks’ work was recently shown at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of a major survey show of contemporary landscape photography.

Now, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery is proud to be able to present these landmark works for Townsville audiences.

Shane Fitzgerald Manager, Gallery Services

Perc Tucker Regional

Gallery

and Pinnacles Gallery