Tracey Moffatt: the role as a Contemporary Photographer

In contemporary society, photography is used to disrupt the individual’s perceptions of time and space. Artists set out to create and alter the perceptions of societal issues involving race, gender and sexuality. The continuous manipulation of photographic styles used by artists such as Tracey Moffatt has challenged the viewer’s perception of reality and morality, a trait that is evident in almost all of her work. Moffatt translates a sense of ambiguity to enable this change of perception, as witnessed in her 1989 series ‘Something More.’ The linear narrative follows an indefinite tale of a woman who seeks love and freedom but is met with an untimely death. The story is interpreted in a number of way, as exemplified, “she visits of seeks to depart from an outback shack inhabited by rough types, only to enter into a sadistic lesbian relationship, ending (cornily enough) in death,” (Nelson, Robert 2004). The story's display of vulgarity lends an interesting contrast against the use of cibachrome, becoming a historical reference to the world of photo development of film noir. As witnessed from the photograph below, the artist has used a cibachrome technique to create rich and bold colours, reminiscent of the old Chinese and Hollywood film posters of the 1940s. Photographs have become less of a tool of capturing reality, and more of a means of transmitting the thoughts of the artist. Moffatt's challenge of the audience's perception forces the individual to formulate their own meaning to the story. 

Tracey Moffatt - 'Something More', 1989.

This notion is further exemplified by Moffatt's 1998 series ‘Up in the sky’. Through analysis of the image below, the audience is confronted with a vivid display of tension, fear and sorrow. Here is an old man crawling on the road; the viewer is unaware of his story and whether or not he is in danger. The car behind him has its lights turned on, however the image is not captured in the dark. Thus the viewer is unaware of the photograph's time or place. This uncertainty caused the audience to question the intent of the driver, and the fate of the old man. Moffatt's underlying meaning of the series was to reflect on the 'Stolen Generation', so one would question whether the race of the man has an effect on the story of the photograph. The individual photographs of the series are not related in a linear fashion so it is difficult to determine the overall meaning of the image. However, the grey tones set an ominous mood which is assisted by the violent connotations of the photograph's staging. 

Tracey Moffatt - 'Up in the sky' 1998