Meet the PHOTO 2024 Photobook Market co-curators: Matt Dunne
14.9.23
As Matt Dunne from Tall Poppy Press joins as co-curator of the PHOTO 2024 Photobook Weekend, we got to know him a little better.
Matt, along with collaborators Angus Scott and Rohan Hutchinson, is co-curating PHOTO 2024’s Photobook Weekend with PHOTO 2024 Associate Curator, Pippa Milne. Applications to be a part of the market are now open, and close 20 Sep. Learn more →
As an artist, Matt’s work addresses the environmental destruction of Australia, often unpicking colonial legacies that remain in the present. He uses photography as a starting point to build publications and installations, combining research, archival photographs, sound recordings and site-specific use of space. In 2021, he founded Tall Poppy Press – a publishing imprint committed to showcasing emerging and under-seen Australian photography, joyful approaches to book making and financially fair business models.
Hey Matt, what's the story between you and photography?
I moved from Melbourne to Mildura in 2011, and had a lot of time on my hands. I would go for huge walks on the weekend and wanted to show people back home what I was seeing. At the same time, Tumblr was quite focused on photography and it made me feel like I could do it too. Photography was something I loved getting better at, I think that’s why I’ve stayed with it. I have no formal training in photography or fine art – everything I do comes from practice and getting my hands dirty.
What's your process of either making, designing or publishing a photobook?
My process is really guided by intuition and my gut. If I see work that I like I want to talk with the artist and make a book – when we sit down to edit, sequence and design it I often tell people not to overthink things, but to follow their instinct. In my view, a lot can be squashed by being too analytical, for me a good book (and good art) makes me feel, so that’s what I use. I also want to see books that are less polished and formal – more playful and raw – so that’s what I try to make.
We're stoked to have you on board as a co-curator for PHOTO 2024 Photobook Market. What are you hoping to see at the Photobook Weekend? What are your future hopes for the photobook format?
I hope to see new exhibitors, great launches and a community full of joy. These events are always at their best when things are bustling and friendly. My hopes for the format is that it continues to progress and evolve. I’d love for Australia to find more of a calling card in terms of photobook style – America is so classic, Dutch design is its own world – where do we sit? What can we make our own?
And finally, what's your favorite photobook right now?
I’ve been obsessed with Alice Connew’s Still Looking Good which I first saw at the Asia Pacific Photobook Archive a few years ago. It’s tiny, but feels substantial, the layouts are very simple but never feel reductive or stale. It’s delightful, fun, gorgeous and raw. It’s everything I want a photobook to be. I aspire to make something this good.
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