This summer Gosford Regional Gallery is proud to host a brand new exhibition by four leading surf photographers Ryan Heywood, Spence Hornby, Reed Plummer and Luke Shadbolt.
Free entry, no booking required.
The ocean is embedded in the Central Coast identity. Our pristine beaches are a major tourist attraction. The myriad river mouths, headlands, reef breaks, and uninterrupted expanses of rolling sand dunes offer a variety of waves for surfers of all types. It is also the home and subject of a number of world-class ocean photographers. This exhibition represents contemporary practice in surf photography and shows the emerging possibilities of the medium.
Ocean photography became popular with the rise of surf culture in the 60’s and 70’s. Characterised by combining an understanding of the technological, conceptual, and the elemental, it is an art-form borne of connection.
Connection to the environment is sustained in constant collaboration and compromise. It requires an in-depth understanding of coastal weather, tidal movements, wind and swell forecasts, a cavalier attitude and the ability to drop everything at a moment’s notice to pursue swells from seasonal weather events all around the world. Connection to the surf community is at the heart of the art form. It is developed through common rituals of camaraderie, where respect is earned over time.
The last ten years has seen major changes within this niche industry. The increasing move towards digital content and decline of the print industry has led to a lack of financial incentive to pursue this art form. Meanwhile, improvements in camera technology, drones and underwater equipment have led to new perspectives being captured with renewed personal clarity and increasingly extreme shifts in the climate and aquatic environment have been tracked and documented in greater detail than ever before.
We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and pay our respects to their elders past and present.
