Bare Truth Opening Event – June 5, 2016

Talk by Ron Brownson, Senior Curator of Auckland Art Gallery

Photographed during 2015, the Bare Truth portfolio contains striking portraits of men stripped down to the waist. Presented in monochrome, they offer a rare opportunity to see real people without the ‘shield’ of clothes. One of my goals was to portray men as humble and vulnerable – in contrast to the common stereotype of being physically and emotionally strong.

It takes us just one-tenth of a second to judge someone and make a first impression so it’s fascinating to see how quickly we form our opinion based solely on physical appearance.

The portfolio has won prestigious awards in New Zealand and abroad. It was selected to be an Associated Exhibition at the 2016 Head On photo festival in Sydney and the Signature Programme of Auckland Festival of Photography. I first met Ron at a portfolio review session in 2014. He saw some of my first photos and encouraged me to expand this collection. As of 2022, there are more than 300 men in the collection.