Two boys stand beside a large tree. One looks away, cap turned towards the light, holding a toy gun across his body. His mate looks straight at me and smiles.
The differences between them make the photograph. One seems to be performing a role for something happening beyond the frame; the other has noticed the camera and is simply enjoying the encounter.
I made this picture in Wilmot as part of a broader project involving local public-housing residents and their own accounts of life in the area.
For me, the photograph remains first of all about these two boys together—the small negotiations of friendship, play and self-presentation that happen naturally when a camera appears.
Artwork Information
Artist: Paul Foley
Collection: The Human Condition
Title: Mates, Wilmot #4847
Artwork: #4847
Location: Wilmot, Western Sydney, NSW, Australia
Subject: Two boys from the Wilmot residents series
Medium: Black-and-white photograph
Process: Full frame digital
Format: Square
Genre: Documentary portraiture
Themes: Friendship, childhood, play, identity, community
Edition: Limited edition of 5 prints plus up to 2 Artist Proofs
Print: Archival fine art pigment print on cotton rag paper
Certificate: Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Two boys stand beside a large tree. One looks away, cap turned towards the light, holding a toy gun across his body. His mate looks straight at me and smiles.
The differences between them make the photograph. One seems to be performing a role for something happening beyond the frame; the other has noticed the camera and is simply enjoying the encounter.
I made this picture in Wilmot as part of a broader project involving local public-housing residents and their own accounts of life in the area.
For me, the photograph remains first of all about these two boys together—the small negotiations of friendship, play and self-presentation that happen naturally when a camera appears.
Artwork Information
Artist: Paul Foley
Collection: The Human Condition
Title: Mates, Wilmot #4847
Artwork: #4847
Location: Wilmot, Western Sydney, NSW, Australia
Subject: Two boys from the Wilmot residents series
Medium: Black-and-white photograph
Process: Full frame digital
Format: Square
Genre: Documentary portraiture
Themes: Friendship, childhood, play, identity, community
Edition: Limited edition of 5 prints plus up to 2 Artist Proofs
Print: Archival fine art pigment print on cotton rag paper
Certificate: Signed Certificate of Authenticity
