Multidisciplinary artist Brook Andrew's The Right To Offend Is Sacred is an exploration of many of his new and majorly significant past sculptural works, responses to issues of racial identity politics in a voice that speaks for the marginalised many. His use of neon lights in particular draws strange and haunting parallels to what one would imagine a Vegas strip to be - the incongruity of this (both literally and figuratively) flashy medium matched with the sombreness of his message is both sharp and sobering; the resulting atmosphere is one that I recommend should be experienced alone. Take your time walking through this exhibition, past the newspaper clippings, old magazines and collages, the portraits and larger-than-life sculptures, and pay close attention to the stories being told before you.
If there is one incredibly striking element to Japan, no matter which of it's bright cities you find yourself in, it's the lights. From the neon green tubing in Osaka's Dotonbori, to the blinding white screens of Shibuya Crossing, to the musical water fountain shows complete with violet and fuchsia illuminations outside of Kyoto Railway Station, you can't help but allow yourself to be drenched in the over-saturation, over-stimulation of Japan's obsession with lights.
Hikari is my photo series of iPhone-shot imagery from throughout my trip across Japan in November to December of 2016. I hope you enjoy these squared close-crops of the most beautiful, sometimes intricate, oft-impacting lights of this country like no other.
After talking concepts with Andy for a little while, I found myself drawn to one of his moodboards in particular - simply labelled “neon”, the collection of images all shared that dark, curious sense of fantasy in the night. It got me to thinking about a beautiful old coat I had sitting at the back of my wardrobe, just waiting for the right shoot to do it justice - a touch whimsical, but still mature and gracefully dominant. Combined with inspo from A$AP Rocky’s L$D video, we had a great concept on our hands. Red-light district and Chinatown themes came through in the images, and the shoot was able to inhibit a hidden nighttime energy of Melbourne's CBD.
We were lucky enough to have Melissa come along to work on hair and makeup for the shoot, despite her having to travel to and from Bendigo! In record time she and Sabrina whipped out this great look - glossy, dewy and strobe-y, and bronzed to the high heavens. Tousled wet hair helped make the look come alive, and the rough-and-tumble elegance was exactly what the look needed. Andy is a thoughtful kind of photographer and spoke about storytelling through his work, and it’s clear it paid off through the almost tangible narrative in these final shots.
Hopefully you enjoy these photos as much as we loved creating them!