From Daguerreotypes through to Photoshop, the history of
photography has been filled with fraudsters, tricksters and
illusionists. It is firmly within this tradition that I
position myself as a photographer. This is because I make
fantastical images within the confines of my studio. Images
that reveal to the viewer the infinite possibilities of
imagined, manufactured and constructed worlds.
I am currently working on a new body of work with a working
title of Arcadia. In the arts,
Arcadia represents an idealised or romantic version of
pastoral life — a paradise where inhabitants
live simple yet prosperous lives off the land. In
Greek mythology, Arcadia is the birthplace of Pan, the
god of herds and flocks, of fertility and of country
life in general.
Arcadia is also a region of Greece in the Peloponnese
(close to where my father was born). Closer to home we have
an Arcadia just outside of Shepparton in regional Victoria and
one in New South
Wales and Queensland
alike.
So why this interest in Arcadia? It is because all the
landscapes I have been visualising recently are hyper
aestheticised versions of a contemporary world, devoid of
inhabitants. Visually lush with a semi-abstract edge, these
landscapes allow respite from a world saturated by messages
of environmental and economic gloom. Perhaps they preempt a
future where humanity will either be living harmoniously
with or obliterated from our very own Arcadia.
Press'd-On is a homage to my
new suburb and studio location. My way of connecting
with new surroundings is to create work about it. For
me, looking at my new surroundings in an aesthetic way
forces me to engage with it quickly. After quite a few
months, I can well and truly say I am home. As a body
of work, Press'd-On is now complete.
If you want to see what I was producing a few years ago,
give the Archive section a go. It houses work
created in the past but which I think still stand the
test of time.
Petlamb
Peter Lambropoulos — Photo-Artist, Melbourne, Australia.
