Christian Thompson is a contemporary artist who explores race and identity throughout his practice. He is a Bidjara man of the Kunja Nation from south-west Queensland; and is also of English, Irish and Sephardic Jewish heritage. His multidisciplinary practice examines the inconsistencies and misrepresentations of Aboriginality by the dominant culture. Often showing himself ‘performing’ for the camera, Thompson draws on the traditions of performance art and conceptual art. ‘Conjure by the moon’ is a monochromatic and highly decorative portrait. It features an elongated head shape, which references the shape of a hoodie and traditional headdress from Aboriginal ceremonies shown in photographs from the late 1880s. The photograph merges autobiographical details and fantastical forms.
2023
Chromogenic prints are printed on paper that has at least three emulsion layers containing invisible dyes and silver salts. Each emulsion layer is sensitive to a different primary colour of light (red, green or blue). The development process converts the hidden dyes to visible colour depending on the amount of light it was exposed to. This type of paper is commonly used to print from colour negatives or digital files to produce a full-colour image. It can also be used to print black-and-white images, giving softer grain and less contrast than gelatin silver prints. Commonly known as c-type prints, chromogenic processing was developed in the 1940s and widely used for colour printing, including for domestic snapshots. While recent years have seen this process accompanied by ink-jet and digital printing technologies, chromogenic printing still remains in use to this day.
