In partnership with PHOTO Australia, Shepparton Art Museum presents YEARBOOK — American photographer Ryan McGinley’s first major solo exhibition in Australia. Consisting of a single artwork featuring over seven hundred vinyl-printed studio portraits of creatives living and working in New York City and adhered to every available inch of wall in the gallery, YEARBOOK envelops the entire space with bold colour and form. Despite the distinct individuality of each subject, the posters are unified by McGinley’s exceptional skill in capturing a fleeting moment. For YEARBOOK, McGinley employs techniques of mass commercial image production to realise a profoundly personal vision. First presented in New York City in 2009, McGinley has shown this ever-evolving work at major public institutions in Tokyo, Denmark, Korea, and Spain. YEARBOOK is an official exhibition of PHOTO 2024 International Festival of Photography.
Please note: This exhibition contains full-frontal artistic nudity.
Curator: Jessica O’Farrell
Location: Lin Onus Gallery, Level 1, Shepparton Art Museum
About the Artist:
Ryan McGinley is a New York–based photographer. His early photos displayed the unseen intersection of skateboard and graffiti culture, with a strong queer focus. At age twenty-five, he became the youngest artist to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (NYC). For over a decade, McGinley has road-tripped continuously throughout the United States to create work that incorporates the human body within the American landscape. Dubbed by GQ as “the most important photographer in America”, McGinley can often be found on the streets of NYC participating in queer activism, fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights. McGinley frequently presents international solo gallery and museum exhibitions and has an ongoing studio practice photographing members of NYC’s creative community.
Image credits:
Photo: Ryan McGinley, YEARBOOK, installation view, Shepparton Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Cam Matheson.
Ryan McGinley, YEARBOOK, installation view Pretty Free at Marlborough Gallery, London, 2020. Image courtesy of the artist. © the artist.
Ryan McGinley: YEARBOOK, installation view, Shepparton Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum.
