Black reflection photopaintings 2003-4

Curated by Centre Director Alisdair Foster, he called on 10 experts to select one photographer each in an exhibition to celebrate the Centre's 30th anniversary. Other artists selected were Rachel Cassells, Shaun Gladwell, Rebecca Ann Hobbs (Photo), Tyrone Knights, Selina Ou, The Kingpins, Grant Stevens, David Thomas, Irene Torres, Silvia Veléz and Bronwyn Wright. Thomas' work was selected by Peter Hill, who said in the SMH,'I settled in the end on David Thomas whose new work intrigues me. He has recently blocked out large photographic images of tourist sites in Paris, Berlin and Wellington with rectangles of black paint, forcing the spectator to 'read' the image around its edges, while those selfsame edges also serve as a framing device. If I had to find a name for this work, I would call it 'minimal realism' or, perhaps, 'high tourism light'. Thomas researches the Bergson notion of time and space. He describes his work as a development of innovative reflection photopaintings that superimpose photographic time and imagery with reflections of actual time as a composite wall work. High level in impact and quality this exhibition highlighting innovations in contemporary approaches to photography in Australia attracted extensive media and was extremely popular with close to 3000 visitors.