DeCookolisation by James Tylor

© James Tylor. Te Aoraki - Aotearoa (Mount Cook, New Zealand), 2015. Image courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney.
© James Tylor. Te Aoraki - Aotearoa (Mount Cook, New Zealand), 2015. Image courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney.

James Tylor uses daguerreotype and wet plate photographic processes to explore complex issues of identity and cultural representation, including his own Aboriginal, European and Maori descent, and Australia’s colonial past. In Tyloer's latest series, DeCookolisation, he uses the Becquerel Daguerreotype to depict places in the South Pacific that were named, by the British, in honour of Capitan James Cook. These include the highest mountain in New Zealand, a town in Northern Australia, and an island nation in the South Pacific — Mount Cook, Cooktown and the Cook Islands.

Mirroring Cook’s unauthorized ‘appropriation’ in the making of DeCookolisation, Tylor sourced images from the Internet without seeking the permission of their original owners. Yet, there is a transformation at play that makes these images conceptually and creatively ‘new’, not least due to the daguerreotype’s mirrored finish.

© James Tylor. Aoraki National Park, Aotearoa II (Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand), 2015. Image courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney.
© James Tylor. Aoraki National Park, Aotearoa II (Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand), 2015. Image courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney.

With the continuing political struggle to ensure just acknowledgement of traditional landowners’ rights, and with issues of artistic copyright and notions of creative ‘originality’ lagging behind a common culture of remix and appropriation, Tylor’s work asks a question that is deeply pertinent to our present-day — when and how is it morally okay to claim other people’s property, and call it your own?

© James Tylor. Te Weheka, Aotearoa (Cook River, New Zealand), 2015. Image courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney.
© James Tylor. Te Weheka, Aotearoa (Cook River, New Zealand), 2015. Image courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney.

 

  • Organised by: Stills Gallery

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February

Brisbane: Until 13 July 2025. Amateur Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott (1870-1954) extraordinary images lay dormant for decades until they were discovered only recently. This exhibition is curated by seven Brisbane photographers.

Perth: Until 18 May 2025. Henry Roy – Impossible Island draws on 40-years of recollections and observations as it brings together 113 photos taken from 1983 to 2023.

Sydney: Until 31 Dec 2025. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

Sydney: Until 30 June. The photographs in Max Dupain: Student Life were taken at the University of Sydney in the early 1950s, a period of rapid change marked by the politics of the Cold War.

Melbourne: Until 26 April 2025. The exhibition features 52 works from the National Portrait Gallery’s collection of dance legends and reflects the freedom and joy of dance and its power to connect.

Sydney: Until 27 April 2025. Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition. Featuring 118 extraordinary images, this exhibition explores the awe-inspiring beauty and fragility of our oceans.

Canberra: 27 Feb until 20 July 2025. The National Library has invited renowned Australian photojournalist Mike Bowers to select some of his favourite images from the Fairfax Photo Archive.

March

Melbourne: 1 March – 25 May 2025. Featuring the work of approximately 60 artists, The Basement brings to light rare vintage prints from the 1960s – 1980s, from students and teachers of the College’s Diploma of Art & Design (Photography).

Perth: 15 Feb - 3 May 2025. de-centre re-centre highlights the strength and diversity of contemporary photography in Australia. The exhibition explores place and belonging in First Nations, diasporic and queer communities.

Melbourne: Until 6 April. HOME – 22 photographers interpret the theme of “Home” in images ranging from social documentary  to conceptual, portraits, landscapes, and more.