Up Close showcases Australian photographer Carol Jerrems’ significant work from 1949-1980, with close emphasis on her late 70’s photographs, capturing Sydney and Victoria’s youth and subcultures.

Carol Jerrems. Vale Street, 1975. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Gift of the Philip Morris Arts Grant, 1982. © Ken Jerrems & the Estate of Lance Jerrems

The exhibition hold archives of Carol Jerrems’ student work at Prahran Technical College, right through to her personal directorial debuts of shortfilm Hanging About and iconic photograph Vale Street 1975; a captivating portrait of Melbourne model Catriona Brown beside by two sharpie teenagers.

Larry Clark. Untitled, 1979. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Purchased, 1980. © Larry Clark. Image courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York

Her work which concentrated on perhaps the most vulnerable of society, is placed alongside that of Nan Goldin and Larry Clark from New York, and William Yang from Sydney who also focussed their photo-based art on the marginalised youth surrounding them.

Stephen McNeilly. Carol Jerrems, Daylesford, Victoria, 1973. Private collection. Photograph: John Gollings

Yang’s images and ink portraits of Sydney’s gay and artistic scene show a naked and honest portrayal of his subjects, followed by Clark’s images of illegal drug use, underage sex and violence from youths of subcultures such as skateboarding, surfing and punk rock.

Robert Ashton. Carol Jerrems, Prahran, 1970. Private collection © Robert Ashton. Photograph: John Gollings

Nan Goldin’s infamous The Ballad of Sexual Dependency first shown at Frank Zappa’s birthday party in 1979, capture a close relationship with New York Bowery’s citizens in their flamboyantly socialistic or dangerously depilated states.

Curated superbly and suitably by Natalie King each photographs subject avoids exploitation, rather holds are a mere poetic reflection.

Up Close | Carol Jerrems with Larry Clark, Nan Goldin and William Yang
Date: 31 July – October 31, 2010
Place: Heide III | Central Galleries, Heide Museum of Modern Art
Address: 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen, Victoria 3105, Australia
Opening Hours: 10:00–17:00 (Closed Mondays)
Exhibition admission: Adult $12, Senior $10, Concession $8
https://www.heide.com.au