works in profile - art gallery of new south...

15 Bill Henson Art Gallery of New South Wales Education Kit

Works in profile

from Untitled 1977/87gelatin silver photograph, lead sheet 61.1 x 51.3 cmNational Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne© Bill Henson

from Untitled 1980/82gelatin silver photograph 32.2 x 46.9 cm© Bill Henson

from Untitled 1983/84type C photograph 76.2 x 63.5 cm© Bill Henson


from Untitled 1985/86type C photograph 106.5 x 86.5 cm Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney© Bill Henson


from Paris Opera Project 1991type C photograph 124 x 125 cmArt Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney © Bill Henson

from Paris Opera Project 1991type C photograph 123.5 x 124.5 cmArt Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney © Bill Henson

from Untitled 1994/95type C photograph, adhesive tape, pins, glassine 244.3 x 278.8 cmArt Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney© Bill Henson

from Untitled 2002/03type C photograph 104 x 155 cm©Bill Henson

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from Untitled 1977/87gelatin silver photograph, lead sheet 61.1 x 51.3 cm

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne© Bill Henson

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9–12 Framing questionsAs a photographer, Henson does not simplypoint, shoot and print his images. His uniqueresults are dreamlike, with almost painterlyeffects. Select three works in the exhibitionand consider whether Henson’s technical andaesthetic approach sets him apart from othercontemporary photographers and links himmore closely to historical painters.

Henson’s photographic practice has changedover time and yet his themes or subject matterhave remained fairly consistent. Trace thecontinuities in his use of the model, pose, gaze,expression, pictorial space, environments,architecture and atmospheric effects.

9–12 Art making activitiesStage a photographic shoot on locationfocusing on portraiture, using fellow studentsas models and your local environment as thebackdrop. Consider exploring urban or rurallocations, a variety of models, variations oflight and time of day or night.

In the darkroom experiment with alternativetechniques such as diffusion, texture screening,negative sandwiching, toning, or photo montageto expand the aesthetic and atmosphericqualities of the images with the same images.How do these various wet photographytechniques alter the impact and reading of thesame image? Discuss the emotional impact theyhave on the portraits. Compare with portraits inother mediums from art history and Henson’sbody of work in the exhibition.

Untitled 1977/87

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Installation view of the series Untitled 1977/87from Bill Henson, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Untitled 1977/87 is a series of 26 gelatin silver photographs printed on lead. Exhibited as 13 pairs,like the open pages of a book, the series layers images taken over time which were thenmanipulated in the printing process. The effect of the soft lead blurs the density of images - some ofwhich appear in Untitled 1985/86 or Untitled 1983/84.

Many of the images approach abstraction so that identifying how layers have been built up orpeeled away is impossible. Others have a ghostly, ectoplasmic feel as though the subjects werereaching out across eons of time towards the viewer, or sinking back into the darkest recesses ofmemory.

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from Untitled 1980/82gelatin silver photograph 32.2 x 46.9 cm

© Bill Henson

Untitled 1980/82

9–12 Framing questionsBill Henson stated, ‘…the entire series shouldin fact amount to one image.’ Henson paysparticular attention to the sequencing andarrangement of each series he creates but alsoto its installation in the Gallery space.

Examine how this practice, as part of hisoverall process, might stretch the role of theartist into that of the curator. Is this approachevident in this exhibition design and thearrangement of the works? Consider how thiscuratorial intervention contributes to theaudience’s understanding of Henson’s works.

9–12 Art making activitiesCreate a series of digital photographic stills inresponse to the Bill Henson exhibition andtransform them into a continuous Powerpointslide show on the computer. Carefully selectand add music to emphasise the subjectiveatmosphere and mood of the images. This maybe data projected in large scale on a wall andcould become a class multimedia project.

How does the sound and scale of theinstallation affect the overall meaning andimpact of the works? Consider how thedimension of time evident in the slideshowaffects the viewing experience of the images ascompared to a still installation. InvestigateHenson’s manipulation of time and rhythmwithin his sequencing of still images.



Untitled 1980/82 has been shown in various forms but in total it consists of 220 imagesconfigured in 26 groups. There are seven different shapes in the series and the groups can bejust three images or as many as 17. The groups may follow a single line or be layered three deepon the wall.

As with the untitled sequences from 1977 and 1979, there is often intensive manipulation of themedium, making relationships between figures in an image fluid and organic. Individualsinvoluntarily take on classical poses, and faces can be distorted by extremes of expression orstilled by interior thought.

The buildings in Untitled 1980/82 were still to be seen in Dresden and East Berlin in the 1970s,when Henson travelled there specifically for the purpose of documenting these structures. Theirhistory and tragic beauty are paralleled in the faces of those in the crowds.


from Untitled 1983/84type C photographs 76.2 x 63.5 cm

©Bill Henson 3


9–12 Framing questionsHenson’s photographs occasionally presentbeauty and squalor in equal measure andintensity. Investigate how they can beunderstood as a celebration of the aesthetic andthe abject. Define these terms and find wherethey might apply within the exhibition. Discussthe collision and contrast of these terms andhow they may contribute to an off-balanced, orcomplementary, emotional experience forviewers.

Research the historical periods, artisticpractices and visual languages of the Europeanrenaissance, baroque art and romanticism. Howhave influences from these periods beenabsorbed by Henson? Compare specificEuropean paintings to key works / series byHenson.

9–12 Art making activitiesCreate a film or video based on an appropriationof a baroque period landscape or interiorpainting. Reproduce the artwork as a set orbackdrop in the classroom, using costume,props, furniture and drapes. Devise a narrativewith minimal or no dialogue, instead focusing onlighting, aesthetics and design, reflecting anemotional state rather than a strict narrative.

Edit the same film footage in small groupsindependent of each other utilising varyingtechniques with music, transitions, titles andcuts. Present the resulting films to the classdiscussing the similarities and differences.Consider the power of the groups’ range ofinterpretations of the same subject. Discuss thisidea in relation to the audience’s experience ofand response to the Henson works and theexhibition as a whole.

Untitled 1983/84


This is a small selection of images from Untitled 1983/84 which consists of 121 images in total.Arranged mainly in diptychs and triptychs and layered floor to ceiling, this series as originallyconceived and exhibited was overpowering in its visual richness and emotional impact. WhileHenson had continued to work privately in colour over the previous years, this was his firstexhibited colour work since 1975.

In most images in this series the colour is leached out so that the effect is cold and bruised.Interiors appear to glisten in half light and wintry exteriors have the diffuse effect of dusk. The facesand figures of Henson’s subjects, emerging from the darkness, can appear demonic, sad or barelyconscious. As always with Henson’s work, it is not the individual image which is critical but thenuances and ellipses from one image to another and the nature of the overall sequencing.


from Untitled 1985/86type C photograph 106.5 x 86.5 cm

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney© Bill Henson


from Untitled 1985/86type C photograph 106.5 x 86.5 cm

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney© Bill Henson

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Untitled 1985/86

9–12 Framing questionsHenson’s characters rarely look into thecamera and/or the eyes of the viewer. Whateffect does averting the subjects’ gaze have onthe dialogue between the subject and theviewer, the subject and the photographer, theviewer and the photographer? Considernotions of voyeurism, the invasive power of thecamera and the defencelessness or complicityof the object of the gaze. Would this change ifthe subjects’ gaze met that of the onlooker?

View Henson’s work, both as reproductions inthis education kit and the originals in theexhibition. Describe your immediate response.Comment on the scale of the work and itsrelationship to you physically. Examine how thisphysicality affects your experience. Write ashort, emotive narrative or poem about oneselected photograph or series using your ownexperiences and memories as inspiration.

9–12 Art making activitiesCreate a series of images inspired by the workof Bill Henson, manipulating a range of visualtexts with the use of digital media. Researchand import historical images such as paintingsby European Masters, classical architecture orcontemporary urban/suburban places andspaces. These may be sourced from theinternet, scanned from magazines, clippings ofprinted material or may include your owndrawings and photographs.

Use software such as Adobe Photoshop todevelop new images from old, creating layersand manipulating subtle toning, lighting effectsand focus effects with the use of filtration tools.Modify and reinterpret these images to createworks depicting your understandings andexperiences of adolescence in thecontemporary world. Exhibit in diptych ortriptych formats or in sequences as a largeinstallation series.


Untitled 1985/86 consists of a total of 154 images taken in Egypt and in suburban Melbourne, ofwhich this is a small selection. As with Henson’s previous series, this was first exhibited layeredfrom floor to ceiling.

The monumental faces of Henson’s subjects parallel the arcane remoteness of ancient templesand the structures to be found at the fringes of modern cities. Are the people and locations theresult of dreams? Or are the people dreamers and the environments the stuff of their dreams?


from Paris Opera Project 1991type C photographs 124 x 125 cm, 123.5 x 124.5 cm

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney ©Bill Henson

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from Paris Opera Project 1991type C photographs 124 x 125 cm, 123.5 x 124.5 cm

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney ©Bill Henson


Paris Opera Project 1991

9–12 Framing questionsInvestigate the language of cinema, literatureand music. Discuss how these other creativeforms engage an audience. Is there evidenceof similar techniques and strategies being usedin Henson’s work?

Link your answers to specific works. Discusshow a visual medium can implicate othersensory experiences and form a bridge toother creative art forms. Why might Henson be interested in these interdisciplinary andinter-media links?

9–12 Art making activitiesConstruct a studio-based photographic workof a contrived scene inspired by a film, piece ofmusic or literature. Consider incorporating animage of a European master work projected byan overhead projector to create an illuminatedbackdrop. Drapery, furniture and other propscould be used to suggest a particular timeperiod, space or imaginary, otherworldly place.Set up the camera on a tripod and constructimages of fellow students with a wide range ofposes, facial expressions and gestures,reacting to or against each other. Attempt togenerate cinematic moods and narratives.Compare your results to the original piece ofinspiration.

Create a group short film or video as aresponse to a work by Bill Henson. Consider yourpersonal experiences with contemporary cinemaand extend the frozen moment presented byHenson into an extended narrative. The narrativecan present either the pre or post narrative of thechosen Henson image.

Plan and storyboard the sequence withsketches or still photographs (which maybecome artworks in themselves). Individuals inthe group can take on specific roles includingdirecting, sets, lighting, sound, and cameraoperation to achieve a cohesive and coherentfinal sequence. Present both the art for yourstoryboards and the film as an exhibition or filmfestival. Consider carefully the form in which thiswork will be presented to an audience and howthis can influence their experience.

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Installation view of the series Paris Opera Project 1991from Bill Henson, Art Gallery of New South Wales

In 1990, Bill Henson was commissioned by the Paris Opera to produce a body of work. Theresulting 50 images were constructed entirely in the studio and include landscapes, cloudscapesand people.

After visiting Paris and the Opera House, Henson found it necessary to concentrate on thetotal effect of music, a time-based medium, and how it could be translated into the silent, stillform of the photograph.

29 Bill Henson Art Gallery of New South Wales Education Kit29 Bill Henson Art Gallery of New South Wales Education Kit

from Untitled 1994/95type C photograph, adhesive tape, pins, glassine 244.3 x 278.8 cm

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney©Bill Henson

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Untitled 1994/95

9–12 Framing questionsAnalyse the relationship between the ‘real’ andthe ‘imaginary’ in one or more of Henson’sseries through his strategy of fragmentation.Locate and discuss examples of collage,cutting, layering, editing, soft and hard focusand variations of scale within his body of work.Consider how such devices may imply a strongsense of isolation and alienation while alsoopening up the work to multiple interpretationsand meanings.

Henson’s sitters are anonymous yetsomehow seem familiar; they operate indefinable yet ephemeral spaces. They seem toexperience both ecstasy and turmoil and, asadolescents, can be classified as no longerchildren but not quite adults. In what ways canthese subjects represent the ‘other’, within orwithout the mainstream of today’s society andculture? Discuss how deliberate, simultaneouspolarisation might contribute to the otherworldlyqualities of Henson’s images.

9–12 Art making activitiesReinterpret a figurative photograph by BillHenson in large-scale drawing. Set up a lifemodel (nude or clothed) in a constructed studiosetting with controlled spot lighting and props.Collage two or three of these drawings bytearing and taping sections to create oneunified image. Reverse sections of the papermay be used to introduce slashes of white tofragment the composition.

Experiment with selected areas of colour andtonal variations to highlight or obscure selectedaspects of the final drawing. Consider how thisprocess compares to traditional methods ofdrawing. Discuss the use of such techniques inother media. In what ways does Henson’stechnique bridge more than just photographicpractice?

Create an installation with large-scale figurativedrawings in an urban/suburban context creatinga contrast to the images. The drawings may besuspended within the site-specific surroundingsor attached to objects or surfaces within thescene. Document the installation with a digital orSLR camera. Consider how the meaning of thework is altered or extended with the addition ofthe site-specific context. Display the photographsand critically discuss them in relation to Henson’s‘cut-screens’.

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Installation view of the series Untitled 1994/95 fromBill Henson, Art Gallery of New South Wales

In 1992/93 Henson began a major cycle of ‘cut-screens’ which continued for the next four yearsand includes the body of work which was shown at the 1995 Venice Biennale. These differ fromhis collages of 1987/88 in that they are usually bigger, incorporate glassine, the white obverse ofphotographic paper, are pinned as much as taped, and are presented on narrow stretchers.

The locations are no longer urban, though the city may be glimpsed in the distance, and themodels are naked. The effect is sometimes infernal and at others arcadian. Bodies can bepatterned with leafy shadows and seem like apparitions of nature or they may be severed with boldslashes of cut paper. Mountain scapes, skies and bodies can be repeated from one ‘cut-screen’ tothe next.


Untitled 2002/03

9–12 Framing questionsHenson is renowned for his dramatic use ofshadow and light, enabling him to conceal orreveal figurative and abstract forms, resultingin mysterious and ambiguous meanings.Discuss how these technical decisions allowhim to provoke a range of responses andinterpretations.

Read the commentary The elusive Bill Hensonby Judy Annear, senior curator of photography(page 6 of this kit). Highlight or underline keyterms and phrases in the text. What newinsights about the artist have you understoodfrom this article? List five key points about thepractice and/or issues surrounding Henson’swork you have learnt.

Locate evidence of your key terms withinworks by Bill Henson. Write your own criticalresponse to this exhibition using your identifiedexamples and terms. Compare your criticalresponse to reviews of the exhibition. As a classdiscuss how written language and text cancommunicate visual ideas.

9–12 Art making activitiesDevise a photographic shoot around thefringes of your school environment and localcommunity in areas which would not usually beconsidered beautiful. Using selective focuswhile shooting or digital manipulation softwareexperiment with blurring forms to abstract thelandscape. Consider how these techniquesshift the image from a vehicle of directdescription to aesthetic impression, breakingconcrete images into their formal qualities and elements.

Use wet photographic or digital toningtechniques to create a romanticised image,transforming the ordinary in everyday life intothe extraordinary. Juxtapose these images withmore classical, beautiful or mainstream imagesof readable, known subjects. Consider how theinterpretation of a whole series is the result ofrelationships between the individual workswithin it.

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Installation view of the series Untitled 2002/03

from Bill Henson, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Henson’s recent work is located on the fringes of the urban environment. It incorporates hisrecurring motifs of the rural, industrial, and celestial, ranging from twilight to the depths of nightilluminated as much by natural as artificial effects.

This edge of the city, where the mundane and forgotten can become romantically charged, is populated by occasional figures who linger and dream. Their longing and loss is as potent inthe recent colour works as it was in Henson’s earliest images from the 1970s.


The work might begin with a fleeting impression from first-hand experienceor in a piece of music I am always drawn back to, or perhaps in a paragraphof writing I cannot forget – and then it takes its own course. I become like aparticipant in some larger process I happen to be fascinated by.Bill Henson in Bill Henson: Untitled 1983/84, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 1986

In every form of art, you really want the experience of the images totranscend the medium, for the medium to disappear into the greaterexperience of viewing the work. So that you forget you’re looking at apainting, or a photograph.Bill Henson in Sebastian Smee in conversation with Bill Henson, Sydney, 11 April 1996. Published ArtMonthly Australia, July 1996

… I’m interested in that tender proximity, that ineffable, fragile, breathingcloseness or presence which photography can animate while, at the sametime, allowing no possibility for any familiar connection with the individuals inthe picture.Bill Henson in Sebastian Smee in conversation with Bill Henson, Sydney, 11 April 1996.

Published ArtMonthly Australia, July 1996

Henson’s work is a celebration of the amoral. He makes no judgements,takes no position, addresses no issues and yet reveals all manner of humaninstincts, intuitions and imaginings.Edmund Capon, director, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004

Henson’s achievement, which lies not so much in the twist he gives to thesubject of disenfranchised youth but in the almost premodern beauty heconjures from such a familiar and clinically post-modern source.Dennis Cooper in Artforum, New York, February 2002

The photographs dramatise the distance between a subject who isindifferent to the camera, taken unawares, and a viewer who looks on withintensified awareness.Michael Heyward in Bill Henson, Pinactheca, Melbourne, 1986

We know nothing of those he photographs; indeed their anonymity is animportant aspect of his work … Few sitters make eye contact. When they doface the camera, and us, their gaze is neutral and their features areimpassive. At such times these anonymous people transcend their corporealnatures to become extra-ordinary.Isobel Crombie in Bill Henson, 46th Biennale of Venice, Australian exhibitions Touring agency Ltd, Melbourne 1995

Bill Henson: quotes

Presented in association with Sydney FestivalSupporting sponsors: City of Sydney, JC Decaux, Sofitel Wentworth Sydney

Produced by the Public Programmes Department© Art Gallery of New South Wales [email protected]/education

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