Artwrite

Sunshine House Series: The Son Archival Pigment Print © Bronek Kozka, 2007

By Gokcen Altinok

Bronek Kozka’s exhibition Memory, Myth and the 1/4 Acre Block raises the significance of nostalgic metaphors and what can be seen to be real life or lost memories from the past. The exhibition delves into the mystical land of memories, dreams and childhood as viewers are faced with magnificent, highly detailed images. Melbourne based photographer Kozka has staged what is believed to be either a figment of a suburban memory from his own experience or drawn up from his imagination, staged tremendously within large-scale photographs. Kozka captures these memories like scene from a movie– highly stylised mise-en-scène, which leaves an underlying sense of a perfect world about to be upended.

The entrance displays seven works incorporating the same set—a motel room shows different characters in different circumstances and viewpoints that convey an awkward scenario. A man in a clown suit Clown (2008), two sailors, and even a couple arising from a secretive affair.

Kozka has recreated scenes from a memory or an event from a time in his life that connects to these characters. I was drawn to the visual connections that followed in towards the main exhibition room. Featured over three spaces, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. How can one artist capture so much detail and emotion without telling us who, why or when the scenes are taking place? The mystery held me and I was sensing the avid curiosity amongst fellow patrons who were also in the same space.

The amount of detail and contrast enveloped into each print is tremendous – the images are large and monstrous, each capable of having a story of their own from the artist’s memory. A memory engulfing such cinematic expectations is especially seen in The Best Years of Our Lives series (2008- 2011), with vivid and detailed emotion from everyday life brought to our attention. The prints are displayed on a black background with lighting above to create a dramatic feeling of hostility between the protagonists. A Son, Mother, Father and The Other, all printed on archival pigment photo paper, encapsulates a sense of family confrontation, something I imagine we have all experienced in our lives.

The final room gives us an interactive look into the works from the Kew House II series (2008). A woman and her husband are in an everyday bedtime scene with lost gazes and contemplative poses in an everyday bedtime scene. Printed on a massive pigment print, you are able to zoom into the work from the computer and analyse the image further. The pill bottle prescription on the bedside table, the view from the window and the detail on the mailbox across the road is astonishing.

The Australian Centre for Photography utilises this dark exhibition space to create atmospheric connections to the black, dark and moody backdrop, a characteristic that steps outside the typical white walled space.

As a viewer I was unsure whether to feel afraid or anxious, questioning why these characters expressions host such ambiguity towards their photographer. Perhaps Kozka’s exploration of Australian suburbia takes us beyond the white picket fence to reveal tension and turmoil tinged with uncertainty. Something artists don’t get a lot of recognition for is the ability to create a world within a world and Kozka’s works definitely draws you into his.

Gallery 1 and 2, Australian Centre for Photography, Paddington. September 2 – October 8, 2011.

Bronek Kozka is represented by MARS, Melbourne and Bett Gallery, Hobart.