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"Clark
knows his subject and
his subjects"
Clark's work in portraiture
is a strength...his images
of children are warm and
engaging, the laughing
eyes of The Cowboys
from Coonamble and The
Drovers Boys from
Gulargambone inviting
the viewer to join their
fun.
His adult portraits are
unexpectedly moving as
Clark uncovers and exposes
the stoicism and sadness
of his subjects. Once
again drawing on iconic
symbols of the outback,
the men in Clark's photographs
are studies in guarded
emotion and strength.
While his works address
issues such as drought
and hardship, Clark approaches
his subject with a familiarity
and warmth which prevents
his photographs from lapsing
into preachy sentimentality.
He has lived in these
places, he seems to know
these people and his photographs
invite the viewer to join
him in this knowledge.
Charly Ogilvie
Canberra Times July 3,
2004
Review of Darren Clark
- Images of the Outback
Tuggeranong Arts Centre
Gallery
"Clark's
photographs focus a direct
and unmanipulated lens
on people."
Concerned with
human stories he portrays
people often ignored or
unseen, and transports
them from the street to
the gallery wall.
His photographs do not
position their subjects
on the fringe but rather
bring these "fringe
dwellers" into the
centre, arresting the
gaze of the viewer and
evoking thoughts of what
constitutes the mainstream,
the normal.
Clark is not preaching
through his photographs,
or asking the viewer to
stand in judgment, pity
or awe; rather he is inviting
a dialogue, an interaction
between people who may
never encounter one another
on the street.
The subjects of these
photos are not captured
in passivity, rather they
seem to accost the viewer
with their direct, penetrating
gaze.
Helen Musa
Canberra Times, October
7, 2005
Review of Fringe Dwellers
Huw Davies Gallery, Griffith
ACT
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