Mark Farrelly

Influenced by artists such as the Starn Twins, Farrelly is interested in pushing the boundaries of photography technically and physically. The work is not ‘perfect’—multiple prints form a single image as the photographs are often cut and collaged together. Digital technology gives the photographer greater control over the content of the image. His most recent work for ‘Vietnam by Night’ is inspired by a recent trip Farrelly took to Vietnam.

Vietnam is a photographer’s paradise ... During the day the street is alive with people, all trying to make a living; it is hot, there are cars, motor-bikes, and bicycles, carts and people everywhere. The frantic traffic is one thing that defines your experience in Vietnam, along with the constant hooting of horns.

During the night the atmosphere changed, people were winding down after a hard day. I realized that the culture was different at night than during the day. While the streets were still busy, people were taking some rest, socializing, eating in the cafes, also, travelling back home after a long hard day working or studying. The traffic was busy but less than in the day.

I noticed the lights from the cars on the bike riders, highlighting their shapes in the darkness and I decided to shoot out-of-focus which made the tones blur into one another—the end result being a dream-like look to the images. I wanted to take the everyday experience, riding around town, and transform it through my work into an image of beauty, capturing the colour and movement in a different way.

The nightlife is rich and wonderful; the night scenes jump out from the darkness of the shadows, and the tones and saturation of the colours illuminate the streets. I contrasted these images from the other by shooting them in focus. They are like still life scenes, still moments, in bustling city life.

—Mark Farrelly, 2012

Like a painter, Farrelly is able to create an image that represents his feelings and world view, rather than using the camera to merely document. The use of paint further blurs the line between the real and imagined worlds as the image extends beyond the edge of the photograph.

Artworks