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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Flash

Australian Athletes in Focus

Previous exhibition
from Saturday 15 July until Sunday 12 November 2006

The National Portrait Gallery’s photographic exhibition Flash: Australian Athletes in Focus explores various interpretations of Australian sporting men and women.

Shane Warne
Shane Warne, 2006 Robin Sellick. © Robin Sellick

Although working in the medium most associated with sport, the photographers do not necessarily portray their subjects’ sporting prowess and achievements. Instead, all the photographers investigate the personal dimensions of elite athletes. While some of the artists focus on the social aspects of sport and on particular groups within the broader Australian sporting community, others celebrate and acknowledge the sporting achievements of Indigenous Australians.

Flash brings together the work of five Australian photographers, drawn from around Australia. The artists, Sahlan Hayes, Leah King-Smith, Selina Ou, Robin Sellick and Toni Wilkinson, have been specially commissioned for the exhibition. The National Portrait Gallery has worked extensively with these individual photographers over the past year. During this period, the photographers have developed and honed their concepts prior to the implementation of their series. The resulting series of photographs illustrate a range of styles and techniques, with a number of the artists extending from their usual practice, and provide an inquiry into aspects of our sporting stars seldom explored in mainstream sport photography.

16 portraits

1 Harry Kewell, 2006 Robin Sellick. © Robin Sellick. 2 John Newcombe, 2006 Robin Sellick. © Robin Sellick.

Related people

Andrew Sayers AM (curator)

Christine Clark (curator)

Flash tour dates

Originally shown at the National Portrait Gallery
Saturday 15th July until Sunday 12th November 2006

Silvershot Gallery

Saturday 4th March until Wednesday 12th April 2006

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ABN: 54 74 277 1196

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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