Suspense

By Sharne Wolff

Apparently it was a faulty ladder that stopped photographer Tyler Shields making it to the opening of his show at McLemoi Gallery. At the time the champagne was being opened he was busy lying in a Los Angeles hospital bed with a bandage wrapped around his head. Ironically Shields unfortunate accident, that saw him plunge from a high roof onto the ground, provided ideal evidence of both the danger involved in this work and the authenticity of these photographs.

Shields hasn’t shown his work in Australia before now. He is best known in the USA for his pictures of celebrities acting in unexpected ways. For the more recent images in Suspense Shields has attempted to catch his subjects in a series of “impossible moments”. Each is pictured soaring through the air or defying gravity – as if someone has hit the pause button in the middle of an action movie. Shields says he likes to push his subjects to do things they normally wouldn’t. While capturing the element of abandon they experience, he hopes to convey that same sense of freedom to the viewer. There’s also an element of mystery and intrigue in every image, which makes you wonder how Shields accomplished these shots.

Until July 6

McLemoi Gallery, Chippendale

http://mclemoi.com

Pic: Tyler Shields, Leaner, 2013. Chromogenic print, edition of 3 in various sizes. Courtesy the artist and McLemoi Gallery.