@scobierobie

Research Background This essay contextualises the practice of Perth-based artist Scott Burton in the field of Western Australian photographic history and within the field of New Photography; both a title to the exhibition curated by Chelsea Hopper and a broad field of enquiry. I discuss how Burton's work reflects global trends in digital Instagram and smartphone photography. I analyse how his work functions legitimately in an online format and question its relationship to photography's presentation in traditional gallery spaces. Research Contribution This essay legitimises and advocates a talented Perth photographer with an acute eye for architectural aesthetics and location-specific character who may otherwise be overlooked by contemporary art circuits because he does not choose to present work in traditional gallery spaces. It contributes an understanding of the legitimacy of photographic practices that operate purely on Instagram, via smartphone camera, or online. I draw comparison to historic artists including Jeffrey Smart, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha and Albert Tucker, as well as filmmaker John Waters to highlight the quality of his visual skill as well as their ongoing concerns around urban space and modern condition. These artists and Burton contribute to this legacy together. Research Significance The New Photography project was funded by the Australia Council. This essay features alongside a number of other essays in the New Photography exhibition catalogue at Western Australia's renowned Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, one of Perth's few long-standing art venues. The curator of the project is Chelsea Hopper. Other writers included Emma Crott, Dan Miller, Melinda Reid and Eleanor Ivory Webber. Curated artists include Jacqueline Ball, Lucy Griggs, Georgia Kaw, Dan McCabe, Lydia Threthewey and Scott Burton. The work is significant as it contributes to an understanding of this contemporary stable of Perth photographers and their concerns, practices and impact.