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William Yang: Seeing and Being Seen

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
William Yang: Seeing and Being Seen explores the Australian photographer William Yang's journey, highlighting his unique ability to merge performance art with documentary photography. The book delves into themes of identity, community, and the intersection of personal and collective history, contextualising Yang's work within contemporary art and culture. Readers will encounter a rich tapestry of images and narratives that examine how Yang captures the essence of seeing and being seen.
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Format: Hardback
$5500
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate a thoughtful blend of photography and personal storytelling. It delves deep into themes of identity and belonging, offering a compelling visual journey through the lens of the renowned Australian-Chinese photographer. Fans of art and cultural exploration will find it both moving and insightful.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Accompanying a Queensland Art Gallery ¦ Gallery of Modern Art exhibition of the same name, William Yang: Seeing and Being Seen explores photographer and performer William Yang's five decades of prolific art practice.

This is the first major survey exhibition and publication on the artist by a state gallery. Featuring reproductions of over 200 photographs, it traces Yang's career from his heady early days as a social photographer in the 1970s documenting Sydney's queer scene through to some of his well-known series addressing family ties, sexual and cultural identity, and the Australian landscape.

Developed in collaboration with the artist, the publication also examines the artist's deep connections to Queensland, including his mid-career explorations of growing up in the far north of the state.

Several insightful essays that delve into the public and private realms of the artist complement Yang's highly personal and engaging imagery. QAGOMA curator Rosie Hays provides an overview of the artist's highly regarded career; writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law gives an account of his own experiences growing up as a gay, Chinese Australian; and Professor Susan Best discusses the artist's engagement with shame—and his refusal to accept it—in both personal and public histories.

This must-have publication for devotees of photography celebrates William Yang's invaluable contribution to Australian art and our rich traditions of storytelling.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781925922134

Publisher: Queensland Art Gallery

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 06 October 2022

Country: Australia

Imprint: Queensland Art Gallery

Illustration: Over 200 colour and black-and-white illustrations

Contributors:

  • Contributions by Benjamin Law
  • Contributions by Professor Susan Best
  • Contributions by Rosie Hays

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 217.0mm

Height: 286.0mm

Weight: 1266g

Pages: 220

About the Author

Rosie Hays is Associate Curator, Australian Cinémathèque, QAGOMA, and curator of 'William Yang: Seeing and Being Seen'. She has curated numerous film programs for the Australian Cinémathèque, including 'New Bollywood: Currents in Indian Cinema' for 'The Ninth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT9) in 2018, 'This Land is Mine ¦ This Land is Me' in 2016, and 'Let There Be Rock' in 2011. She is also a programmer for the Brisbane International Film Festival, hosted by QAGOMA (2018-20).

Benjamin Law is an Australian writer and broadcaster. He's the author of the memoir The Family Law (2010), the travel book Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (2012), the Quarterly Essay 'Moral panic 101' (2017), and the editor of the anthology Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019). Benjamin also created and co-wrote three seasons of the award-winning SBS TV series The Family Law - based on his memoir. His debut play Torch the Place will be staged by the Melbourne Theatre Company in 2020. He has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Professor Susan Best is an art historian and Professor of Art Theory and Fine Art at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane, and a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Her book Visualizing Feeling: Affect and the Feminine Avant-garde (2011) won the Australian and New Zealand Art Association (AAANZ) prize for best book, and Reparative Aesthetics: Witnessing in Contemporary Art Photography (2016) was joint winner of the AAANZ best book prize. She is currently completing a book on body art and performance (Bloomsbury Philosophy).

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