tableaux@GerardandMarc

The work of Gerard O’Connor and Marc Wasiak

This photographic exhibition showcases a number of tableauxs which reflects the powerful collaboration between two

artistic practitioners and soul mates Gerard O’Connor and Marc Wasiak which commenced in the mid-1990s.

O’Connor a film maker/photographer and Wasiak a set designer/prop-maker are both acclaimed in their fields and together they constructed complex and large-scale images exploring the peculiarities of human behaviour and our changing social mores as they explain;

Our work takes the form of carefully constructed, highly detailed photographic

tableaux. Each is based on in-depth research of the period, subject and site, but

reinterpreted through the eyes of contemporary ways of seeing.

In the manner of 19th century European grand history painting each image unfolds an intricate narrative, well-constructed and superbly executed;

The themes we explore include the sensuality that lies beneath the coolest

exterior; the hypocrisy of the pious; the corruption of the powerful; the violence

seething below the veneer of civilisation; the calamities that befall the most

rational plans. We explore and celebrate the diversity of humanity across age,

gender, sexual orientation and cultural background presenting the chaos of

interactions in aesthetically sophisticated but narratively unexpected ways.

The result is both familiar and surprising. Familiar in terms of the general subject

and costuming; surprising in the way the characters interact and the underlying

twists in the narrative. Yet, being researched in detail, the unexpected elements

in each are all based on fact; evoking, through imaginative re-working, a truer

history than the sanitised narratives passed down over time... The detail and

narrative complexity of each image has proven highly engaging for viewers from

very diverse backgrounds, drawing them into the ideas and actively engaging

their imaginations.

The works have drawn attention and acclaim both in Australia and overseas where they’ve been widely exhibited and collected.

Website: www.gerardandmarc.com

Instagram: @gerardandmarc