Over the past two decades, acclaimed Australian photographer Stephen Dupont has captured wars, cultures and faces the world over.
Having spent so much time abroad, in recent years Dupont has turned his focus back home on a new project documenting the effects of climate change on Australia.
His new exhibition, Are We Dead Yet?, launches at aMBUSH Gallery, ANU in August, a haunting portrayal of a host of climate-related natural disasters across the country.
“I’m normally off chasing wars across the world and, for me, this was in my backyard; in a way, I was chasing a war,” he said.
Describing itis as a “broad environmental exposé”, the exhibition was inspired by his young daughter Ava’s climate activism, with her influence making it deeply personal for him.
“Her feelings and her take on the world and what was happening was so powerful for me,” he said.
Through 21 photos, Are We Dead Yet? offers poignant portrayals of the recent floods around Sydney and NSW, the black summer bushfires of 2019-20 and their aftermath, the drought and its effects in central NSW, and deforestation in both Tasmania and Western Australia.
Although the exhibition depicts the devastating impacts natural disasters wreak, Dupont has also tried to capture the beauty of it.
Many of the images were captured while Dupont was covering major news events relating to those crises.
“They’re not manipulated, but photographed in a way that reflects a painting and something much more otherworldly … They’re not conventional press photos,” he said.
“I was photographing in a way to highlight beauty, danger and devastation but in a more artistic, creative way than a news photo.”
As a renowned war photographer, Dupont has had a close association with Canberra for the last 20 years, being the official war artist for the Australian War Memorial twice and working with other national institutions.
Over that time, he has witnessed Canberra’s cultural evolution firsthand.
“It’s changing for the better and it’s a lot more interesting,” he said.
“Now there’s incredible restaurants, cafes, art, museums and an art scene as well. It’s a really good multicultural vibe, which is what it should be.”
Are We Dead Yet? will be at aMBUSH Gallery, Kambri, ANU from 6 August to 5 September; ambushgallery.com
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