CreatorSimryn GillTitleA Small Town at the Turn of the Century # 2Date1999 - 2000MediumType C photographDimensionsImage size 36" x 36"
Paper size 40" x 40"
Frame size 1093mm x 1085mm x 40mm Accession NumberG2022.1.2Credit LineDonated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Elizabeth A. MacgregorAccess AdviceFor research purposes only. No reproduction without permission of Yarrila Arts and Museum.
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Significance Statement
'A small town at the turn of the century' 1999-2000 is a series of 39 type C photographs taken by Gill in the town the artist grew up in. The documentation of the people and place of ones past could be highly nostalgic. Added to this is the moment at which Gill chose to document - the turn of the 20th into the 21st century. Such references to time and memory, the past and the present are potent but Gill has covered each of her subjects' heads with tropical fruit. Rather than being absurd or ironical the head coverings move the images away from being portraits and into the broader realm of context. The context however is not necessarily as revealing as the viewer might wish. There are numerous variations on dress, interiors, exteriors, pose, and accoutrements that suggest activities (whether work or play). While it is usually clear that the environment is tropical (because of the fruit and foliage) the images provoke a complex set of reactions to the possible messages. Faceless, Gill's subjects are ciphers constructed by external objects, presented with affection.
Gill works across photography, text and installation. Her photographic practice is burgeoning and clearly a very important part of her work. This series is the 4th major body of photography which she has produced in recent years. Gill's photographic work sits to some extent with that of Tracey Moffatt, Destiny Deacon, and Anne Ferran because of her interest in memory, as well as relating to her installations in concept and content. - Art Gallery of NSW
Description
Photograph of two people sitting at a table, their heads encased in fruit - passion fruit and jackfruit. A black dog in the foreground. Edition 2/5. Type C photograph.
Simryn Gill, A Small Town at the Turn of the Century # 2 (1999 - 2000). Coffs Collections, accessed 24/03/2026, https://coffs.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/75023