Rosemary Laing facts for kids

Rosemary Laing (born 1959, died 2024) was a famous Australian photographer. She started her career as a painter but became well-known for her amazing photographs. Rosemary also taught art at the University of New South Wales.

She had over 100 exhibitions, showing her art to many people. Rosemary was a leader in a style of art called conceptual photography. This means her photos often told a story or explored an idea, usually as part of a series.

Rosemary Laing's Life Story

Rosemary Laing was born in 1959. She first studied painting from 1976 to 1979 in Brisbane, Australia. Later, she earned more art degrees in Hobart and Sydney. She completed her Master of Fine Arts in 1996.

At first, Rosemary used photography just to help with her paintings. In 1988, she worked as an exhibition consultant for a big Australian event. This job helped her see how other top photographers showed their country. This experience was a big step for her career. In 2000, her series Flight research became very popular.

Rosemary Laing passed away on May 23, 2024, at the age of 65.

Her Artistic Journey

Rosemary Laing's art often explored important ideas. She was interested in how people connect with places and history. She would set up scenes to take her photos. These scenes often included ideas about politics and modern culture.

In 1994, Rosemary moved to a studio in Sydney that was right under a flight path. The constant noise of planes flying overhead made her think about air travel. This inspired her Flight Research series.

After 1996, Rosemary usually avoided changing her photos digitally. This made the subjects in her pictures look very real, even when they were surreal or dream-like.

Exploring Rosemary Laing's Artworks

Some of Rosemary Laing's most famous photo series are Bulletproof glass and Groundspeed.

The Bulletproof glass Series

For Bulletproof glass, Rosemary took pictures in the Blue Mountains. She showed women in old wedding dresses. These women appeared to be floating in the sky with marks on their chests. This series explored some difficult ideas. It touched on feelings about a past vote in Australia that did not pass. It also related to the government's choice not to apologize to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.

The Groundspeed Series

The Groundspeed series combined art installation with photography. Rosemary went to eucalyptus forests in South Australia. She laid down carpet on the forest floor. With help, she took many landscape photos of these unique scenes.

Rosemary once said, "Flying is like a fantasy or a dream in our minds. Children dream of flying. It's a way to escape. Superheroes fly. I wanted to free the body from the machines of flight."

Natural disasters, like floods or bushfires, also affected Rosemary. She saw how they changed the Australian landscape and people's lives. This led her to create the series one dozen unnatural disasters in the Australian landscape. She used documentary photography to explore these powerful events.

Awards and Recognition

Rosemary Laing received many awards and grants during her career. These helped her create more amazing art.

• 1999: National Photographic Purchase Award
• 1996: Faculty Research Grant from the University of New South Wales
• 1990: Rothmans Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship
• 1989: Artists Development Grant from the Australia Council

Exhibitions Around the World

Rosemary Laing's art was shown in over 100 exhibitions. These included both solo shows and group shows with other artists. Her work traveled all over the world. It was displayed in countries like Germany, the United States, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Finland.

Her photographs are now part of important museum collections. You can find her work at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain. Her art is also at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, USA. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan, also holds her pieces.