Photographer Nick Fitzpatrick is as bold in his choice of subject matter as he is in his ability to challenge his audience. Turning established doctrines and conventions on their head, Fitzpatrick causes the audience to linger, be still, take a close look and question what is presented.
Fitzpatrick’s recent exhibition, Dispatches was motivated by both his feelings of powerlessness at the atrocities occurring in Gaza and empathy for those living through the conflict. More specifically Fitzpatrick was taken with the scale of destruction and terror taking place in this modern-day city and in detailed look at the conflict, observed that as the war escalated, the reporting and photographs presented to us reduced and as such the importance and our focus on the war diminished. News of the war became passe,’ our initial concern, shock and fear overtaken by our own daily lives as the news of the war faded into the background. With this observation, Fitzpatrick’s focus became keener and his yearning to question the way this conflict was reported increased, as he came across photographs filtered for our sensibilities. These photos only served to further alienated the Australian public from the reality of the daily goings on in Gaza.
Dispatches is comprised of a series of photographs sourced from the current bank of press material fed to us by the media. Fitzpatrick re photographs the images, and re presents them to us, they are unfocused and obscure. His re photography draws you in and causes you to refocus, readjust as you sit with the images questioning what it is that you are looking at. The photographer examines and considers reality, what we consider is true and real. “Is it true?” just due to the fact that it is presented through “official” and therefore “must be true” photographs. Perception and beliefs are called into question, and eventually we consider our relationship with the truth we are fed. Fitzpatrick’s process was more akin to a study than an idea with a view to an end goal. The experience was a valuable lesson in thinking for oneself, is the truth always so? Is our definition of the truth inherently floored as it is tainted by that which is censored and fed through means where commerciality is the number one motivator?
I look forward to his presentation of the next project, re photography of images of Trump. Not many times in history is there a character in society that evokes so many reactions, some good, some bad, but what is certain is that Trump is photographed a lot, we are fed many narratives and I am looking forward to surveying my reactions when Fitzpatrick presents this next body of work.
Excellent work Nick!
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