This work is from Tony Albert's series Brothers, which was made in response to an incident that occurred in Sydney’s Kings Cross, late on a Saturday night in 2012. A car full of young Aboriginal teenage boys lost control and drove onto the footpath, hitting a pedestrian. The police response was fast and brutal, shooting and wounding the driver and one of the passengers while arresting all of the boys on the spot. Many witnesses documented the event and the public response was loud and varied.
At a rally held to express solidarity with the boys, a group of teenagers removed their shirts to reveal red targets painted on their chests. Albert was inspired by the defiance of the gesture and use of the symbol and went on to work with the motif.
For this series, Albert collaborated with Kirinari Hostel a youth hostel in Sydney which provides accommodation for Aboriginal young men and boys from around NSW who are studying at secondary schools in Sydney. He worked closely with the young men while creating the photographs, and this practice of collaboration with Indigenous youths has continued throughout Albert’s career.
(2020)
Also known as Giclee prints or bubble-jet prints, pigment ink-jet prints are generated by computer printers from digital or scanned files using dye-based or pigment-based inks. A series of nozzles spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper surface in a precise pattern that corresponds to the digital image file. In dye-based prints the ink soaks into the paper, whereas in pigment-based prints the ink rests and dries on top of the paper surface.
Whilst the term is broad, pigment ink-jet prints have come to be associated with prints produced on fine art papers. They are the most versatile and archival method of printing available to photographers today. A wide variety of material on which an image can be printed with such inks are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas or pre-coated canvas.
