Melbourne, Australia, 12 April 2019 – Canon Australia and SUNSTUDIOS are proud to present ‘It’s only rock ‘n’ roll but I like it…’ – an exhibition featuring the who’s who of Australian music from the past 40 years captured by award-winning photographer Wendy McDougall, “one of Australia’s best-known rock photographers” (Sydney Morning Herald, 2019). A selection of more than 140 images from McDougall’s extensive collection will be on show at SUNSTUDIOS from 9–24 May in Melbourne, after a headline-making hit run in Sydney. Images will be available for purchase at the gallery and a selection online.
The classic Jagger/Richards’ song perfectly sums up the life and work of Australian music photographer Wendy McDougall, whose dual passions for art and music collided in 1979 to become a career: “I feel like I’ve had an angel watch over me throughout my life,” reflects Wendy McDougall. “I mean seriously, who starts their career selling their first photo to one of the biggest bands in the country? I still don’t quite know how that happened but I’m glad it did”.
Wendy McDougall’s talent behind the lens was quickly recognised and saw her sell her first photo to legendary rock band The Angels in 1979, and with that began a photographic career now spanning 40 years creating striking pictures of iconic Australian music acts. These include Cold Chisel, Divinyls, Richard Clapton, The Triffids, Diesel, Paul Kelly, GANGgajang, Ross Wilson, Mental as Anything, Sean Kelly, INXS and Chris Bailey to name a few, along with visiting international musicians like Tom Jones, U2 and Mick Jagger.
“I’ve always felt that the best way to live life was to do the things you liked and from an early age these things were rock music and art. My idea of fun was combining these two mediums and I’ve been following my heart ever since,” says McDougall.
The ‘It’s only rock ‘n’ roll but I like it…’ exhibition comes hot on the heels of McDougall earning the inaugural 2018 Australian Women in Music Award (AWMA) for Best Photographer, in recognition of her esteemed 40-year career as an in-demand photographer. While her career later diversified into theatre, film, television and more, it is music that first gave Wendy her start and it remains a crucial part of her creativity. Revered photographer and curator, Sandy Edwards, said that “Wendy McDougall (has) proven beyond doubt that passion and hard work creates an amazing archive of shared history”.
Wendy McDougall’s inspiration
McDougall’s key inspiration was U.S. photographer Annie Leibovitz, firstly because of her glass-ceiling-smashing success at magazines such as Rolling Stone. “I thought, here’s a woman and she’s photographing musicians, so I can do it too,” reflects McDougall. “But even more of an influence on me was Leibovitz’s sense of playfulness, convincing her subjects to go out on a limb and do something wild and unusual that was both true to their personalities and visually-remarkable.”
McDougall’s music photography has explored similarly creative paths, moving from vivid live shots that capture fleeting onstage moments of magic to more visually-sophisticated productions that pay homage to art movements like surrealism. Yet always in her work there is an ever-present sense of humour and play, as well as a dedicated commitment to open collaboration with those she photographs.
“I have curated this exhibition so that people can feel the vibe of the time and relive some moments that came to help shape the Australian music industry that we know today,” says McDougall. “Combining sight and sound, they offer something for all lovers of music and pop culture, whether you actually lived through it or just enjoy looking back at a formative time in our industry.”
Proudly presented by Canon Australia and SUNSTUDIOS in Melbourne, ‘It’s only rock ‘n’ roll but I like it…’ will include more than 140 photographic images in a range of sizes.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
SUNSTUDIOS and Canon Experience Store complex South Melbourne
Dates: 9–24 May 2019
Hours: Mon–Sat 9:00am–5:30pm
Location: 95 Buckhurst Street South Melbourne
Admission is FREE.
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
For selected image purchase and other details please visit: www.canon.com.au/wendymcdougall
ABOUT WENDY MCDOUGALL
Wendy McDougall is an award-winning Sydney-based freelance photographer, artist and filmmaker who creates visual imagery designed to entertain, stimulate and educate. McDougall started her photographic career in the music business in 1979, making iconic pictures of Australian music acts. From this, she branched into theatre, film and television as well as documentary photography. McDougall has also created many artworks and has exhibited her work since 1984.
Besides working with musicians, one of her favourite commissions was being one of two official photographers for the Centenary of Federation in 2001. Not only did she document all the events in Sydney on January 1st, including the signing of the historic document by then Prime Minister John Howard and Governor General Sir William Deane, but she went on to document all NSW Federation Towns and events throughout the year. This project culminated in an exhibition at NSW Parliament House and a book of images titled ‘The People’s Celebration – Federation Towns’.
Documentary images by McDougall are held in the collections of National Library of Australia, NSW State Library, Museum of Sydney, and Powerhouse Museum. She continues to photograph musicians and artists in creative industries, work on documentary projects and looks forward to her next exhibition. In 2018, she was the winner of the Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) – Music Photographer category, which recognises a current photographer and her body of work.
ABOUT SUNSTUDIOS
SUNSTUDIOS is a creative hub for the photographic and motion imaging industries combining retail showrooms, studio hire and equipment rental, fine art printing, exhibitions, workshops and seminars, as well as catering at 42 Maddox Street, Alexandria in Sydney and 95 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne. For more information, visit: www.sunstudiosaustralia.com
ABOUT CANON AUSTRALIA
Canon is the world’s leading imaging brand that inspires enables people to achieve more than they ever thought they could through products, services and solutions for business and consumers. Canon has ranked among the top-five US patent recipients for the past 34 years and had global revenues of more than $US36 billion in 2018. Also part of the Canon Group in the Oceania region are Canon Finance Australia, SUNSTUDIOS, Converga and Harbour IT. For more information, visit www.canon.com.au, www.facebook.com/canonaustralia, http://instagram.com/canonaustralia, www.twitter.com/canonaustralia, www.youtube.com/canonaustralia
