Polixeni papapetrou biography of william
Vale Polixeni Papapetrou: an inspirational life
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Photographic artist and RMIT alumnus Polixeni Papapetrou passed away recently after a long illness. She was only 57 years old, and remembered as being both an exceptional artist and a wonderful advocate for photography in Australia.
A headline artist in RMIT Gallery’s current exhibition Chaos & Order: 120 years of collecting at RMIT her work Study for Hattah Man and Hattah Woman, 2012 (pictured below) is placed next to Charles Wheeler’s 1937 Blue and Gold, in an exhibition that encourages audiences to engage with the artworks through a broad set themes and overlapping categories.
Last year Papapetrou, who completed her Master of Arts at RMIT in 1996, was awarded one of Australia’s most prestigious photographic awards, the $30,000 William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize.
In his Chaos & Order opening address Mr Terry Wu, a passionate art patron & collector, made a special mention of the photographer’s work and life.
‘As well as a wonderful artist, Poli was an inspirational woman and mother…my deepest condolences to Robert, Olympia and Soloman. May Poli rest in peace.’
Associate Professor Shane Hulbert, Associate Dean Photography, said Papapetrou was one of RMIT’s key photographic alumnus. Two of her large photos (main picture above) Witness, 2006 and She saw 2 girls and a boy 2006 (pigment inkjet prints) from the Haunted country series 2006 (in the National Gallery of Victoria collection), featured in Hulbert’s 2017 exhibition Photography 130 at RMIT Gallery. Her muse and daughter Olympia Nelson, the subject of many of her photos over the years, posed in front of the younger version of herself in She saw 2 girls and a boy at the exhibition opening.
Legacy: Photo by Evelyn Tsitas
‘Poli’s contribution lives on not only through her work, but also through the legacy of support she provided for artists, insti 22 October – 4 December 2016 This exhibition brings together three recent series by Papapetrou: Lost Psyche (2014), It’s all about me (2015) and Eden (2016). Each of these studio-based series explores concerns that have long been central to Papapetrou’s practice including role-play, performance and identity, as well as the history of art, mythology and religion. Furthermore, the works in this exhibition focus on Papapetrou’s explorations of the transitional stages of life, particularly the loss (and persistence) of childhood. More information 29 September – 3 November 2016 More information 1 – 31 October 2016 The European Month of Photography Berlin is the largest German festival for photography. Since 2004, it has been taking place every two years in Berlin, presenting a wide range of exhibitions and events on historic and contemporary photography. More information Stills is delighted to announce the recent acquisition of Polixeni Papapetrou works Blinded and Spring (both 2016) by Bendigo Art Gallery as well as Ocean Man (2012) by the National Gallery of Australia. More information until 21 August 2016 Stills is delighted to congratulate Polixeni Papapetrou who is a finalist in the 2016 Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award. More information Stills is d Promote yourself, add & edit content New here? Please register Sign up for daily and / or weekly eNews about upcoming international exhibitions and events! Colourful, abundant and compelling, Polixeni Papapetrou’s new series Eden arose out of a commission by the Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP) in Melbourne to create works in response to the Melbourne General Cemetery. Papapetrou, photographed flowers obtained from the cemetery against a black backdrop to invoke ideas about mourning and remembrance. For Papapetrou, whose own plot is in the cemetery, and who, through illness, has faced her own mortality, it was a challengin… In Lost Psyche, Polixeni Papapetrou portrays emblematic figures that have come to the end of their tradition, their rationale, their place in the world. These intriguing and charismatic characters—the poet, the tourist, the immigrant, among others—bring to life antique Victorian paper masks. Yet, despite being cast beyond our immediate reality, their costumes harking back to earlier times, their settings to fantastical places, these archetypal figures live on in the cultura… Australian photographer (1960–2018) Polixeni Papapetrou Polixeni Papapetrou with her works at a 2012 show at Melbourne's Nellie Castan Gallery Melbourne, Australia Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia Polixeni Papapetrou (21 November 1960 – 11 April 2018) was an Australian photographer noted for her themed photo series about people's identities. Photo series she has made include Elvis Presley fans, Marilyn Monroe impersonators, drag queens, wrestlers and bodybuilders and the recreation of photographs by Lewis Carroll, using her daughter as a model. Papapetrou was born in 1960 into a Greek immigrant family in Melbourne. She attended the University of Melbourne, graduating with a degree in Arts and Law in 1984. In 1997, she graduated with a Master of Arts degree from RMIT University and with a PhD from Monash University in 2007. She worked as a lawyer between 1985 and 2001. Papapetrou began taking photographs as early as 1987. In her early years, she focused on cultural identity, photographi
Polixeni Papapetrou – News
BEYOND EDEN
Monash Gallery of Art, VIC
Image: © Polixeni PapapetrouPOLIXENI PAPAPETROU in I AM IN THE PICTURE: DAEGU PHOTO BIENNALE
Daegu Culture & Arts Centre, South Korea
Image: © Polixeni PapapetrouPOLIXENI PAPAPETROU in EUROPEAN MONTH OF PHOTOGRAPHY BERLIN
Berlin, Germany
Image: © Polixeni PapapetrouRECENT ACQUISITIONS
Image: © Polixeni Papapetrou FINALIST
JOSEPHINE ULRICK & WIN SCHUBERT PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
Gold Coast City Gallery, QLD
Image: © Polixeni PapapetrouRECENT ACQUISITION
Polixeni Papapetrou
Exhibitions of Polixeni Papapetrou at Stills Gallery
Eden
3 Sep – 1 Oct 2016
Lost Psyche
29 Oct – 29 Nov 2014
Polixeni Papapetrou
Born (1960-11-21)21 November 1960 Died 11 April 2018(2018-04-11) (aged 57) Nationality Australian Education Alma mater University of Melbourne Known for Photography Notable work Style Photography, painting, scenic backdrops, landscape, childhood Spouse(s) Robert Nelson, art critic, The Age Awards William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize
2017
MAMA Art Foundation National Photography Prize
2016
Windsor Art Prize
2015
Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award
2009 Elected Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, Board of Management 1985–2003 Website polixenipapapetrou.net Early life and career
Photography