Jenny Pollak’s exhibition Skin will have its opening event on Saturday 9 August 2–4pm at Clara Street Gallery, 1A Clara Street, Erskineville. Running from 26 July to 15 September, the gallery will be open 9:30–1:30 Mon–Fri, or by appointment.

How many times can you photograph the same subject and still find something original to say? How far can the image of a body be pared back before it becomes so abstract that its origins are lost? Most of the images in this exhibition began during lockdown as an exploration of these questions as I photographed my body in the rather restricted view I had of it while kneeling at my desk. Over time my photographs became less focused on the body and more concerned with the relationship between two distinct forms, the negative space between them becoming more and more dominant, until finally, as in the last images of the series intimacy and solitude, it eclipses the body altogether.

The sculptures in this exhibition have been made in response to the photographs, and reflect my continuing interest in exploring the juxtaposition of two very reduced forms, while further speculating on the nature of what their relationship might be.

– Jenny Pollak 2025