'The Group & You' is the first series where I began to experiment with movement, decoration, and colour in my work as a way of expressing my ideas and experiences.

I was feeling as though we lived in an incredibly conservative climate at the height of John Howards leadership in Australia and thought my work was reflecting that. I hadn't been making the work I wanted to, and so through this series wanted to experiment with ideas that had been kicking around for a while. Repression & Liberation... Doing what you should do and doing what you want to do.

Collaborating with the models we started with minimal direction and costume and built up the outfits, poses and body paint as the day progressed.

The series was also inspired by Julia Margaret Cameron, Francesca Woodman and Juergen Teller for their use of outfits and nudity, and considered placement of people in their very unique styles of portraiture.

Costume. Maxine O'Heare
Body Painting. Rhys Lee

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The Group and You 1, 2007
Installation view, The Carlton Club, November 2007