This work forms part of Christian Thompson’s series Flower walls, which is made up of multi-panel works that show the artist immersed and almost entirely submerged in colourful arrangements of Australian native flora. This series is consistent with the artist’s broader practice, which revolves around questions of Indigenous identity and frequently involves the artist ‘performing’ for the camera. Drawing on traditions of performance art and conceptual art, and under-pinned by theoretical discussions of ‘performative’ identity, Thompson uses his own body throughout his practice to explore identity and cultural relationships to nature and history.
(2021)
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.
