Beauty in difference: the street photography of Jon Lewis
Since 2014, the distinguished photographer Jon Lewis has walked the streets of Sydney capturing the many faces he has encountered. This exhibition features a series of 20 black-and-white streets portraits. A veteran, self-taught photographer of more than 40 years, Lewis connects with perfect strangers when he takes their photographs, but the images are anonymous as he doesn’t record their names or any personal details. His work is influenced by the candid photography of greats such as Henry Cartier-Bresson and Diane Arbus.
Lewis acknowledges that the audience has to work harder to unravel his images: “The less we know of the image by title, interview or small talk, the more the photograph has to do its job.”
State Library curator Anni Turnbull says, “Jon’s photographs showcase the incredible diversity of inner Sydney, and his photographic are evidence of why Sydney is such a great cosmopolitan city. As well as being works of great craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty, they form an important documentary record of Sydney today which will be preserved for future generations in the State Library’s collection.”
Lewis has been exhibiting photographs since 1974. He was a member of Sydney’s ‘Yellow House’ in the early 1970s, and was a founder of Greenpeace Australia. The 20 photographs on display are amongst 50 digital images in the series ‘Sydney Town Street Portraits’, which the Library acquired last year.
