Exhibition: HOMAGE at Customs House

Customs House are proud to invite you to a free exhibition by Alexia Sinclair. Experience the delights and surprises of Homage as part of the Head On Photo Festival.

Here’s what to expect?

• The ground floor of Customs House has been transformed into an immersive multimedia space.
• An installation of an internal palatial gardens surround the work.
• A selection from The Regal Twelve adorn the pillars of the main atrium.
• A selection from The Royal Dozen are on display in huge gilded frames.
• Homage for iPad is available to play with on 6 iPads throughout the space.
• A 16m light box media wall is covered in an ivy wall Alexia shot in a convent in France.
• Behind the scenes videos are playing through the media wall on 7 separate screens.

Homage: The Regal Twelve (2004-2007) and The Royal Dozen (2008-2010)

Princesses, warlords, dandies and divas take the stage to form two highly complex fine art series titled The Regal Twelve and The Royal Dozen.

Through the study of nobility in history and portraiture, Alexia Sinclair has produced twenty-four innovative artworks formed from thousands of photographs and illustrations.

Forming a collection titled 'Homage' Sinclair pays tribute to the historical figures that form these series.

Legends of the lives of the nobles continue to captivate us today, from the pampered decadence of Marie Antoinette to the epic legend of Alexander the Great. Other rulers who also form these series are less renowned yet equally intriguing. An unusual blend of Royalty, their selection was based on their contrasts in leadership, their flamboyancies and their enduring influence upon society.

Travelling the globe photographing architecture and landscapes, Sinclair returned to Australia to hand make bespoke costuming for each portrait. Photographing actors, props and sets, she then meticulously stitched together each component in postproduction along with hand illustrations.

In the style of the renaissance painters, Sinclair weaves a myriad of delicious symbols and motifs into each portrait, allowing each story to unfold.

Exploring the complexities of the famous, the infamous and the obscure, these portraits celebrate historical realities within the guise of contemporary fantasy, a kind of conversation between the past and present.