Jeff Wall at the NGV Melbourne

Jeff Wall - The Destroyed Room - 19789

Currently showing at the National Gallery of Australia in Melbourne is an exhibition of Canadian photographer Jeff Wall's work spanning the years 1978 to 2010. The show features 26 photographs drawn from throughout his career including several large scale works and major light box transparency works such as After 'Invisible Man’ by Ralph Ellison, the Prologue 1999–2000 and the extraordinary, A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) 1993. Jeff Wall is one of the most influential contemporary photographers working today. He has frequently been called a modern storyteller, and his work is shaped by his profound awareness of Western art and literature. One strand of his practice is conceptual and involves small-scale, thoughtful observations of ‘things’ that appear to have been photographed in situ. The other strand comprises more complex activities, generally including people that are then meticulously re-enacted for the camera.

The show is supported by a comprehensive catalogue authored by curator Isobel Crombie and several short but incisive video presentations which can be viewed on the NGV site HERE - the exhibition runs until 17 March 2013.

Jeff Wall - Boy Falls from Tree - 2010