PHOTOQUAI 2009 - Paris Photographic Biennale

Late last year my series The Regal Twelve - Phantasia was privileged to represent Australia in the Paris Biennale PHOTOQUAI. (Phantasia is a touring exhibition containing The Regal Twelve organised by the Australian Centre for Photography).

My Regals have travelled far and wide, and often I sadly miss out on my own exhibition openings. However, Paris was too hard to resist! We saved our pennies and packed our bags ready to attend the opening of Phantasia, housed in the Australian Embassy, Paris.

Giving an opening speech to a crowd of Parisians proved a delight and the Phantasia works were met with much enthusiasm. The Australian Ambassador David Ritchie and the director Harriet O'Malley were warm and welcoming and shared our excitement about the collaboration.

In Paris we hired a car and drove through the Loire Valley staying in farmhouses and travelling daily to a different château to shoot background plates for my new series The Royal Dozen. This countryside is abundant in magnificence, soaked in history and picturesque locations and is a richly rewarding part of the world to explore. Even if it was the year of scaffolding, the French can seduce you into believing that a scaffold is a charming addition to a château! Seriously!