An exhibition of sporting photographs by Anderson & Low

National Portrait Gallery
22 June to 23 July 2000

The Athlete explores the sporting life well beyond the superficial image of the human physique. These photographs capture "the long range involvement, intensity, focus and drive of individuals in the pursuit of the Olympic ideal".

Shot by London based photographers, Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low, The Athlete was first shown at the National Art Gallery of Malaysia to coincide with the 1998 Commonwealth Games. A selection of these photographs will show at the National Portrait Gallery Canberra as part of the celebration of the 2000 Olympic Games.

"The nicest comment I heard was from one of the athletes who said everything he felt inside when he was training he didn’t think outsiders understood," said Anderson, "but he was amazed because he saw it on the wall".

Michael Klim (b. 1977) rose to superstar status in Australian swimming in 1998 by winning seven medals in seven events at the World Swimming Championships in Perth. The following week in Sydney he twice broke the world short course record in the 100m butterfly. In the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in September of that year he again won seven medals including four gold — the second highest medal tally for any athlete in any sport in any Commonwealth Games. In 1998 he was the world record holder in the 100m butterfly and was ranked number one in the world in the 100 butterfly and 200m freestyle. In 1995 he was named Rookie of the Year at the Telstra Australian Swimmer of the Year Awards; in 1996, having won a bronze medal for the 4x100 medley relay at the Atlanta Olympic Games he was Australian Sprint Swimmer of the Year. In 1997 he won three of these awards, and he was again the Swimmer of the Year in 1999. He participates in charity work for the Guide Dog Association and Kelloggs Kids’ Helpline and is a patron of the Starlight Foundation.

Jonathan Anderson (b.1961) and Edwin Low (b. 1957) live and work in London and have collaborated as the photographic team Anderson & Low since 1990. Their photographic practice encompasses portraiture, street photography, architectural studies, landscapes, still life, athletes and sports subjects. Anderson & Low have worked predominantly in black and white including platinum-palladium printing techniques. In 1998 their exhibition The Athlete, a collection of 120 photographs which explores aspects of sporting life and the sporting ideal, was held at the National Art Gallery of Malaysia as part of the XVI Commonwealth Games cultural festival. The show is also touring to the US Olympic Museum this year. Their work has been acquired and exhibited by the National Portrait Gallery in London and widely exhibited in the United Kingdom, Australia, America and Malaysia. Their photograph of the millennium dome in London was commissioned as the official poster for the venue.