One’s Own Grey

By Sharne Wolff

Official Website

Like its namesake colour, a ‘grey area’ exists between two extremes but takes on mixed characteristics of both. In a place where one person’s black is another’s white,
artist photographer Ben Cauchi’s One’s Own Grey subtly exploits the ambiguities of this psychological no man’s land.

Cauchi says his interest is in making “photography about photography”. He hails from New Zealand and is a veteran of numerous solo exhibitions since 2000. He’s also admired for his traditional technique and this latest series of photographs continues his use of the basic but clunky ‘wet plate’ process first introduced in the mid 19th century. Aided by titles like But only disaster lay ahead, Of secrets and lies, That which can be seen is not all there is and so on, Cauchi’s images are unsettling. Shafts of light appear at the end of hallways and plunge through closed windows and open doors in scenes that mark beginnings or endings. Folds of fabric hide veiled unknowns. Vignetted surrounds add to the mystery while stark contrasts of black or white amplify the drama. Simultaneously scary and exciting they’re like cinematic stills from a sci-fi or horror film. The images in One’s Own Grey necessarily involve the viewer in their psychological game. Open to interpretation the grey area is a very personal affair.

Darren Knight Gallery, Waterloo
Pic: Ben Cauchi The thin blue of a winter sky 2013, wet collodion on acrylic sheet
20 x 25 cm. Courtesy the artist and Darren Knight Gallery.