CANBERRA.- Carol Jerrems: Portraits is a major exhibition of one of Australia’s most influential photographers. Jerrems’ intimate portraits of friends, lovers and artistic peers transcend the purely personal and have come to shape Australian visual culture. Set against the backdrop of social change in the 1970s, her practice charted the women’s movement, documented First Nations activism, put a spotlight on youth subcultures and explored the music and arts scenes of the era.

In a career that spanned only 12 years before her tragic death at the age of 30, Jerrems captured the world around her with curiosity and courage. She was a voracious observer yet also intentional in her approach to narrative and composition. Her photographs play with tension and dramatic impact. They are candid but at times consciously performative; vulnerable but also tough; melancholic yet joyful.

Drawn from the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery, the exhibition showcases more than 140 photographs, from Jerrems’ lesser-known early work to the now iconic Vale Street 1975, and coincides with the 50th anniversary of her landmark publication A book about Australian women. Featuring portraits of cultural figures like Anne Summers, Bobbi Sykes, Evonne Goolagong and Linda Jackson the exhibition examines how her work defined a decade and continues to shape how we think about photography today.

On show exclusively at the National Portrait Gallery until 2 March.

Drawing attention to the specific nature of portraiture in Carol Jerrems’ practice, this major publication offers new perspectives on her work and illuminates its ongoing significance. This beautifully designed book features high-quality reproductions of over 130 vintage prints and contact sheets, alongside essays and creative responses by curators, poets and writers Elena Gomez, Rebecca Harkins-Cross, Neha Kale, Magdalene Keaney, Shaune Lakin and Anne O’Hehir, Celeste Liddle, Pippa Milne and Isobel Parker Philip.

Please be aware that this exhibition contains images of nudity and medical procedures, and references to sexual abuse.



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