The Wall

By Benjamen Judd

If there is one thing we can recommend anyone who is staying with us in Sydney NOT miss this month it is the MCA’s (Museum of Contemporary Art) exhibition of Canadian photographer, Jeff Wall.

A key figure in the innovative Vancouver art scene since the late 70s, Wall is probably best known for his large-scale colour transparencies, mounted in wall-hung light boxes which combine the seductive glow of a cinema screen with the physical presence of sculpture.

Wall’s works are typified by two approaches, which he characterises as either cinematographic or documentary. For his innovative mise-en-scènes, Wall has pioneered state-of-the-art film and digital techniques to compose meticulously staged scenes. At first glance they often appear to be snapshots but, on closer inspection, the multi-layered content sometimes seems too bizarre or complex to be real. Wall draws upon a myriad of references from art history, particularly nineteenth century painting.

His retrospective collection at the MCA provides a comprehensive overview of his career covers three decades of his artistic and photographic innovation and includes his large-scale works – epic and luminous colour photographs presented as transparencies in light boxes; black and white prints; more recent colour prints; and intimate small-scale photographic observations.

Entry to the exhibition is free and is on now, and will run until July 28.

For more information, head to the MCA website here.