Bluethumb Photography: Our New Online Gallery
After several months of development and outreach, we’re excited to announce the launch of our new online gallery, Bluethumb Photography.
As the name suggests, Bluethumb Photography is an innovative online platform that exclusively supports Australian fine art photographers.
Mauna Kea by Stuart Chape.
Unlike the more established Bluethumb Art, which is open to all artists creating two dimensional, non-digital, non-photographic art, Bluethumb Photography is a curated selection of Australian photographers selected primarily by photography curator Ashley Lumb.
According to Ashley, an online photography platform is long-overdue for Australia. “The ‘photography is not art’ debate is so old it’s hardly worth revisiting,” says Ashley. “Online photography galleries have existed in the UK and US for nearly a decade now, so Australia is just catching up. In short, Australian photography is fantastic but the support for artists so far has been lacking.”
Fertility #2, 2017 by Bindi Cole Chocka.
“As a curator, I think exhibitions are absolutely necessary, but they can exist in tandem with an online gallery. Every few months I read an article about how the art world is changing: the current model isn’t sustainable, galleries are struggling or at worst closing their doors. Galleries and artists should be open to the digital world – not only for sales purposes, but also to attract wider audiences which could help get Australian work into more international exhibitions.”
Equally, says Ashley, the gallery will be highly valuable for collectors of fine-art photography. “In terms of collecting photography, one must hunt around through many different galleries to find photographers. Having one central platform, with a large selection of photographers, like the one that we’ve created at Bluethumb, helps simplify that process.”
Emma J. Hawkins and Unicorn (From the Series The Working Class) 2016 by Aaron Bradbrook.
Bluethumb co-founder and managing director Edward Hartley says that he, too, is excited to bring Bluethumb photography to life. “It’s great to be able to connect art lovers everywhere with a whole new medium. This is something that we’ve been wanting to implement for some time. To see it come together is hugely exciting.”
Shipwrecked (1) by Naomi White.
Coinciding with the official launch of Bluethumb Photography will be Bluethumb’s first photographic exhibition, Fragments Shored Against the Ruins.
This exhibition examines the idea of ‘waste,’ considering it as an aesthetic phenomenon pointing towards a kind of loss, a void, something obsolete.
As a nod to the current cultural climate in Australian photography which continues to see galleries forced to close their doors on rich creative communities, Fragments highlights the increasing invisibility of photography in Australia that Bluethumb Photography hopes to bridge.
PORAKA (poo’ki kungnawa’ah siho tawareikoing/for when a baby is vomiting) by Kate Robertson.
“Bluethumb is an innovative Australian-owned platform which I am thrilled to be a part of,” says Aaron Bradbrook, a photographer whose work will be exhibited in the upcoming show and is also available now through Bluethumb Photography.
“As an independent photographer, Bluethumb will provide me with access to their established global network of collectors… Not only will I be able to build upon my professional profile as photographer, I will have the opportunity to acquire new commissions and important networks. I look forward to being a part of the bourgeoning success of Bluethumb.”
Meth by Mike Gray.
Opening night for Fragments Shored Against the Ruins is this Friday (1st December) from 6-9pm at our studio space at 81 Sackville St,Collingwood.
The exhibition will run until the 10th of December.open 10-5pm on Saturday and Sunday and by appointment during the week.
Fragments will include work by Aaron Bradbrook, Bindi Cole-Chocka, Emilio Cresciani, Merilyn Fairskye, Robin Friend, Mike Gray, Tim Handfield and Naomi White.
Click here to explore the entirety of Bluethumb Photography, and here for all details of the event.
Hi
How do I get my photography for sale on Bluethumb ?
Hi Barb,
You can apply to sell your work through the website: https://bluethumb.com.au/photography/sell
Thanks!