Rebecca Dagnall

Rebecca Dagnall's work explores the relationship between people and place, looking to the natural world to examine the Australian psyche. Her dark and unsettling images create a sense of unease and discomfort that invites the viewer to question their own relationship with the land we inhabit. Often haunting, Dagnall's work sits within the field of the Australian Gothic.

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Portrait of the Dead - Landscape #5 (detail), 2015-22, archival pigment print on paper, 67 x 100cm, ed. 5
Portrait of the Dead - Landscape #5 (detail), 2015-22, archival pigment print on paper, 67 x 100cm, ed. 5 | Rebecca Dagnall

Rebecca Dagnall was born in Melbourne in 1972, six months after her parents migrated to Australia. After graduating from Curtin University with Honours in 2003, Rebecca held her first solo exhibition in 2009, and in 2018 she was awarded a PhD from RMIT University. She maintains a photography practice and exhibition schedule, and has been invited to show around Australia and internationally. Recent projects also include video and sound collaborations. Rebecca is based Perth.

Rebecca Dagnall's work explores the relationship between people and place, looking to the natural world to examine the Australian psyche. Her dark and unsettling images create a sense of unease and discomfort that invites the viewer to question their own relationship with the land we inhabit. Often haunting, Rebecca's work sits within the field of the Australian Gothic. Scattered among expansive landscape works are the poignant yet somehow beautiful images of dead animals that challenge our assumptions about life, death, and the environment.

Rebecca's work has received critical acclaim for her unique and powerful vision, and her work continues to push the boundaries of contemporary photography. Her work is represented in several public and private collections, including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Wesfarmers Arts, Janet Holmes à Court Collection, Royal Perth Hospital and in the local government art collections of Victoria Park, East Fremantle, Wanneroo, Stirling and Joondalup.

Rebecca Dagnall, Portrait of the Dead #4 (Pink and Grey Galah), 2022, archival pigment print on Canson Photographique paper, 100 x 67cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Portrait of the Dead #6 (Bandicoot), 2022, archival pigment print on Canson Photographique paper, 100 x 67cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Portrait of the Dead #1 (Emu), 2015-2020, archival pigment print on Canson Photographique paper, 100 x 67cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Portrait of the Dead #3 (Crow), 2021, archival pigment print on Canson Photographique paper, 100 x 67cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Portrait of the Dead - Landscape #3, 2018-2022, archival pigment print on Canson Photographique paper, 67 x 100cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, The Gorge, 2015, archival pigment print, 80 x 120cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Down by the River, 2014, archival pigment print, 67 x 100cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Edge of the Abyss, 2016, archival pigment print, 69 x 120cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Impenetrable Bush, 2016, 77 x 150cm, ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Otherside of the World (from Trespasses), 2015, archival pigment print, 100 x 150cm. ed. 5
Rebecca Dagnall, Paradise 5, archival pigment print, 2009, 91 x 166cm, ed. 10
Rebecca Dagnall, Pioneer Pool, archival pigment print, 2015, 100 x 150cm, ed. 3
Rebecca Dagnall, Portrait of the Dead #8 (Tawny Frogmouth) (detail), 2022, archival pigment print on Canson Photographique paper, 100 x 67cm, ed. 5

Exhibition

Rebecca Dagnall // Portraits of the Dead

Details