© National Portrait Gallery 2025
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Jerrems was adept at embedding complex, and competing, sensations in a single photograph. While some of her portraits depict a version of masculinity that aligns with the toxic bombast of mainstream culture, steeped in aggression and menace, here she foregrounds tenderness. From a close vantage point, Jerrems frames this unnamed man in a tight crop. His eyes are closed, his face serene as light gently illuminates his left cheek from above. With hands clasped behind his head, he is caught in a moment of unguarded repose.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Gift of Mrs Joy Jerrems 1981.
© The Estate of Carol Jerrems
Carol Jerrems: Portraits is a major exhibition of one of Australia’s most influential photographers. Jerrems’ intimate portraits of friends, lovers and artistic peers transcend the purely personal and have come to shape Australian visual culture.
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