Toby Burrows presents PANDEMONIUM – A photographic response to the pandemic

An extraordinary photography exhibition by artist Toby Burrows, PANDEMONIUM features more than thirty distressed artworks, including captivating portraits of performers Tim Minchin and Steve Kilbey, misty landscapes, and even an embalmed 1961 XK Falcon. This body of work, developed during the pandemic, is in the artist’s own words; ‘a violent metamorphosis of the exhibition’s first format.’

Toying with the notions of memory and place, images have been distressed and aged by Burrows using a signature, analogue technique. Each image has a sculptural, visceral quality owing to its manipulation.

Says Burrows: “As photographers, we have been trained to respect the fragility, integrity, and perfection of the printed photograph. It was in an act of post-pandemic defiance, that I began to distress and reinterpret my own artworks to give them new meaning.”

Portraits include a spectrum of famous faces from comedian Tim Minchin, and singer Steve Kilbey (The Church), to our favourite scientist Dr Karl, writer Pete Duncan (Rake), and Australia’s 107yr old national living treasure, Eileen Kramer.

A look back at personal fine art work by Burrows (pictured above), PANDEMONIUM re-imagines and re-interprets these photographic works, paying a visual homage to the transition and evolution we’ve all made over the last two and a half years. Artworks are evocative and stimulating, with a patina that is unique to each hand-finished piece.

Says Burrows: “The process of creating the PANDEMONIUM work drew on broader creative sensibilities. There is a finality to the printed photograph but the meditative and repetitive process of manipulating the prints resembled the tactile nature of painting a canvas more than a photographic process.

“In addition to the tactile process of manipulating the photographic prints, I have been excited and inspired to revisit silk-screen and light projections for the exhibition.”

In reflecting on the working environment under which the work was created the artist said: “This strange period in which the world was turned on its head created an artistic void from which PANDEMONIUM was born.Although the Pandemic created hardship for many, there were positive aspects to a forced reset. A time with limited resources and access to travel, forced us all to rethink what was expected of us, made us reflect on where we have been and reassess what is important.”

PANDEMONIUM opens to the public with an exhibition of large format fine art photographic prints for sale from Friday 5 August until 27 of August. This exhibition at SUNSTUDIOS and is supported by Canon. PANDEMONIUM is open for visitation from 7.00am-7.00pm Monday Friday, and 8.00am-4.00pm on Saturdays.

DETAILS:

Friday 5 August to Saturday 27 August inclusive – FREE entry to PANDEMONIUM

Saturday 27th -1.00PM FREE Artist Talk August: Manipulating the Photograph: Risk & Reward

SUNSTUDIOS 42 Maddox St, Alexandria NSW 2015 (02) 9641 5555