Drew Pettifer: I keep mine hidden - Australian Art Collector

Drew Pettifer, Untitled (Dan asleep on his bed), 2009. Courtesy: the artist

14 November 2011 | Photographer Drew Pettifer is the subject of a new monograph titled I keep mine hidden.

Taking its title from a 1987 Smith’s song, the book is a collection of intimate photographs of the artist’s friends and lovers taken over the past two years.

Many focus on the naked or semi-naked bodies of young men – in bedrooms, bathrooms or swimming – catching the subjects in moments of self-admiration and introspection

Critic Daniel Palmer writes in the foreword: “While we might remark the prevalence of mirrors and liquids – hinting at the vulnerabilities
and fluidity of a certain kind of youthful male sexuality – above all, it seems, these are simply images of pretty young men who have been persuaded to pose by a friend who likes to look.”

He adds: “This is photography as a desiring machine and a tool to become other, reminding us that as much as photography concerns identity (from the family archive to the mug shot) it functions even more effectively as fantasy.”

I keep mine hidden is published by M.33 (64 pages, hardcover). It will be launched at the Centre for Contemporary Photography in Melbourne on 17 November 2011 at 6pm.

Jane O'Sullivan


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