Sumptuary

Overview

The cavernous galleries of the Australian Centre for Photography are about to play host to a display of excess. Historically, over-paid elites hid their wealth behind empty shows of humility. When they didn't, they tended to inspire harsh laws against showing off; effective or otherwise. The ancient Romans tried to ban excess. The Venetians of the rennaissance kept on trying. But if you want to see the sort of thing the Italians of history couldn't prevent, then get to Sumptuary for a closer look.

Alexais Sinclair's series The Royal Dozen — male counterpart to The Regal Twelve — sketches fantastic views of male rulers from across history. Sinclair photographs and collages, collecting deliberately staged fragments: a piece of the Hunter Valley for the background, a horse for the foreground, a piece of hair. All before she gets so far as rearranging anything on Photoshop. Robyn Stacey provides elaborately recreated nineteenth-century interiors in sumptuous shades, while Garth Knight's photos borrow as much from rigging and weaving as from his S&M-imaging heritage. Deborah Paauwe's ruffled work and Farrell & Parkin's digital classicism round out the exhibition.

Sumptuary runs until January 29th, with a short break from December 23rd to January 8th.