Exhibitions
A SELECTION OF MY EXHIBITIONS AVAILABLE FOR TOUR
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Afghanistan: The Perils of Freedom 1993 -2009 (86)
A fifteen year retrospective on Afghanistan. The exhibition covers the 'human condition of war' through photographs taken on many different formats including Polaroid, contact sheets, mural wall book installations, diaries, letters, carpets, objects and memorabilia, along with feature films and multi-media presentations. It is essentially a window into two distinct and parallel journeys: the evolution and change of a nation and a photographer. Photography critic Robert McFarlane writes, "This extraordinary exhibition may be one of the most intricately constructed displays ever seen at the Australian Centre for Photography. Not only has photojournalist Stephen Dupont sought to encompass fifteen years of working in Afghanistan's historically conflicted land, he has managed to display his photography in literally, a floor to ceiling, wall to wall tapestry of pictures. Afghanistan: The Perils of Freedom 1993 - 2009 is not an exhibition to simply walk through. It demands the visitor arrive, and take the time to meditate on fifteen years of hard, remarkable work by this talented, tenacious photographer - pictures illuminating the timeless ability humanity has to seek the last option of government - war - as a solution to political differences." A selection of photographs from the exhibition and installation photos of the show at the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney, November 2010. -
Axe Me Biggie, or Mr Take My Picture (30)
A series of anonymous Polaroid portraits taken on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, 2006. Jacques Menasche writes, “Axe Me Biggie” — a crude Anglo phonetic rendering of the Dari for “Mister, take my picture!” — is Stephen’s answer to the plea he’s heard all over town the previous three weeks. It seems to mean something in English, “axe” being just a more visceral and violent version of the camera verb “to shoot,” returning all its original aura of surrender. And because Stephen has that pulverizing Aussie-rules rugby body, “Axe Me Biggie” also seems a request addressed to him personally. Stephen is Biggie. And on this day Biggie finally answers them all, en masse, saying, “Yes, alright. I will axe you, shoot you, take your bloody picture. Have a seat!” Twenty framed mural size gelatin silver prints make up this exhibition. Here is the selection along with some installation pictures of the show at FotoFreo Festival, Fremantle, Australia in April 2008. -
Sing-Sing (35)
A series of tribal portraits taken with a polaroid 665 land camera using a makeshift studio, Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea, 2004. Film-maker Bob Connolly writes, "Look closely at the faces of these New Guinea Highlanders - past the paint and the feathers and into their eyes. They are solemn. Rarely do you see a smile. Some seem almost apprehensive. What is going through their minds as they stare into Stephen Dupont’s lens? Are they uneasy about being photographed? Unlikely. Cameras are no novelty in these parts any more, and the annual Mount Hagen Show, where Dupont made these magnificent black and white studies, has long been a mecca for photographers seeking the colourful and the exotic. Understandably. Held annually near the New Guinea Highlands town of Mount Hagen, the Show is arguably the most impressive demonstration of tribal self-decoration on the face of the planet. In the warm, dry season air of early August, phalanxes of decorated men and women shake the ground with their stamping dance rituals, each individual a living “installation” of tribal decorative art." -
Raskols (39)
Crime in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby is rampant. The city is plagued by a 60 percent unemployment rate and chronic poverty hence it's reputation as being one of the most dangerous places in the world. According to The Economist, the city is the least livable city on earth. Much of the violent crime - armed robbery, rape, and carjackings - is committed by young gang members known as "Raskols", (Tok Pisin for criminals). In 2004, Stephen Dupont got access to a Raskol community to document the individuals behind the facelessness of gang warfare. Building trust over several visits Dupont was able to set up a makeshift studio in which to photograph his subjects. The resulting portraits depict the "Kips Kaboni" or "Red Devils," Papua New Guinea's oldest gang. Thirty two life size photographs printed on museum quality photo rag paper stock make up the exhibition. Installation pictures from the Australian Centre for Photography exhibition in Sydney, April 2005. -
Panorama 1999 - 2005 (39)
A six year monograph of the artist’s personal favourite panoramic photographs. A visual diary and cinematic journey... PANORAMA is war, chaos, revelation, entrapment, isolation, fear, darkness, peace and light...it is Humanity and Inhumanity. The exhibition is a selection taken from the limited edition hand made book of the same title. Thirty one photographs printed on Fujiflex paper stock and canvas digital make up this exhibition. Installation pictures from the exhibition launch at ByronMcMahon Gallery in Sydney, May 2007. -
The Wrestlers (63)
This visual anthology of traditional wrestling is the result of a decade of work by artist, Stephen Dupont. A photographic expose into ancient history, THE WRESTLERS documents the vast styles of traditional wrestling in a contemporary photographic forum. The life-size black and white images depict wrestlers from the Delhi wrestling school in India, the Oil Wrestlers of Turkey, the tribal warriors of The Gambia, remote Mongolian fighting matches, the masked Mexican superstars, the alpine wrestlers of Switzerland, the US College champions and the Sumo of Japan. Dupont’s journey began in India in 1993 and has seen him document the rituals, celebrations and lifestyle that surround wrestling in all its vastness of form. The images give valuable insight into the people, culture and communities that have existed for hundreds of years, yet are fast disappearing from our globalised world. The exhibition is a selection of photographs taken from the published book LUTTE by Marvel Publishing, France and FIGHT by Braus Heidelberg, Germany. Fifty two photographs make up this exhibition. Each are mural size digital prints made by Epson Australia. The exhibition installation pictures are from the Monash Gallery Of Art show in Melbourne in April, 2007. -
Exhibition Posters Archive (15)
A selection of posters featuring Stephen Dupont's photographs from past international exhibitions and photography festivals.

