The Block, Redfern

Photographer Dean Sewell’s job – his passion – is to crawl into the sorts of marginalised places we see each night on the news, to bypass the standard mainstream schlock and get the real story.

Interview by James Ellis

He moved to Russia in 1996 to cover the Chechen crisis when the rest of us were nestled at home enjoying Seinfeld in its prime, photographed battle-scarred East Timor in 1999, and faced up to the desolation left by the Tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia in 2004. Life-altering experiences, sure, but neither the bloodied earth of Russia or East Timor, or the broken lives of Aceh are as personal to Sewell as the passion he has for The Block in Redfern. We caught up with Dean Sewell to chat about The Block, his photos, and what he sets out to achieve when he picks up his camera. [Read more]

Showgirls

Morganna Magee, a 24-year-old photographer from Melbourne, talks about how she helps people exploit their inner voyeur.

How did you get involved in photography?

My mother is an artist and I grew up surrounded by imagery. My mother had a locket she wore which had photos of me and my brother. I was fascinated by the precious and sentimental nature of those images. I began collecting photos and spending hours arranging collages. I think that I really loved the idea that a photographic image is a secret glimpse into someone else’s life. You can look at them, but they can’t see you. [Read more]

Getting a buzz out of still life

Interested in displaying a painting of a sex toy on the wall of your living room? Meet the man who has made it possible.

By Nicholas Cornelius

“Traditionally rendered still life paintings need to get a little more dangerous,” says Pat Hobaugh. The 29-year-old artist from Wisconsin paints still life. Dildos to be exact. And vibrators, nipple clamps and butt plugs. Why? Because Hobaugh believes sex toys can also stimulate people outside of the bedroom. [Read more]