Hijacked 2

Overview

You wouldn't expect much cohesion between pieces in an exhibition featuring 32 photographers put together by three curators, especially not one with as nebulous a theme as "the socio-cultural landscapes of Germany and Australia". But there is something drawing together a lot of the works in Hijacked 2. This is mostly Vice photo issue stuff, with a lot of slightly out-of-focus, snapshot-style photos eschewing technical virtuosity for (potential) immediacy, emotional connection or, at the very least, novelty.

To be frank, that doesn't always work. Hijacked relies heavily on social networking and young photographers for its material, and the venue hails the show's resultant focus on "the young, the boundary-riding and the fringe dwelling". In more than a few places this devolves into some pretty grating portraiture of photographers friends' homemade tattoos, detached irony and comfort with partial nudity. Edgy.

When the show does work, though — and more often than not it does — there's some rich, immediate work to see. Narelle Autio's lush, saturated overhead photos do some amazing things with shadows. Jackson Eaton's take on sex, casual eroticism and the confluence of intimacy and boredom is beautiful: a foreskin stretched between a girl's teeth, a TV remote held behind the same lover's back. A lot of the landscape photography, too, is very compelling. Joseph Schultz' prints of abandoned checkpoints/toll booths/guard posts are a standout.

There's something to be said for the reaction brought on through juxtaposition of photos you love with those you hate. Given how subjective art 'n' stuff is, that may mean you'll love photos of leather jackets, panties and great parties while loathing another photographer's art that's actually good. Quite apart from the high quality of some of the shots, that makes Hijacked 2 worth seeing for the argument value alone.