A Conversation with Chris Gurney
by Robert Wood
Chris Gurney is a photographer who focuses on portraits, surf, and sport. His work has been published in Monster Children, Victory Journal and Tracks, and, he has photographed for leading brands including Nike and Adobe.
Chris spends a lot of time by the water in Perth and the South West.
We caught up to talk about the image, moving in a positive direction, and the best way to scroll through Instagram.
I want to focus our conversation on photography, on being mixed race, and on identity. In that way, I think that some of the most interesting cultural expressions of belonging, of home, of migration happen through images. Many of us look at the world differently, and, if our daily lives are anything to go by, we are saturated by curated images from Instagram on. So let me start by asking, where do you feel like you belong in the world of photography?
I’d say I’m part of a young generation of professional photographers who grew up with modern technology but take a lot of influence from past methods of photographing and exhibiting images. By that I mean if the web and social media suddenly disappeared, it wouldn’t affect my passion and desire to create work. Living where I live in Perth, we are not exactly the cultural capital of the world, but I really believe you can make the most of your location and produce a unique insight into life wherever you are. On the other side of that coin, growing up with social media, the web and digital photography has been a great way to keep up to date with what is happening across the globe in a photographic sense. That has definitely given me a good barometer on where I am in terms of the quality my work and opened my eyes to people who I see as contemporaries.
Talk to us about your childhood. We grew up in a similar era, where multiculturalism mattered. But, we were also in a place that was very white – the western suburbs of Perth. That was good and bad, but what do you remember from growing up? What compelled you to become a photographer given this context?
Growing up most of my friends were (and still are) white and very Western in terms of cultural identity, and that’s shaped who I am now. Enjoying the beach, sport – things that are distinctly Australian. My mum grew up in Singapore and immigrated to Perth later in her life to be with the rest of our family who had come here, married and had kids, so our whole extended family is very mixed and multicultural.
I was pushed into photography through sports, largely surfing and bodyboarding. That was the thing all my friends did at my high-school. Living close to the beach meant I was able to do it regularly and spend a lot of time in the water. I had some injuries that kept me out of the surf so I picked up a camera to stay involved and it progressed from a hobby into a job eventually.
So, I think having those hobbies pushed me into photography indirectly and it was definitely something my family supported me in pursuing. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a keen photographer so I think it brought back good memories for them.
Living where I live in Perth, we are not exactly the cultural capital of the world, but I really believe you can make the most of your location and produce a unique insight into life wherever you are.
Is this what home means for you in an aesthetic sense as well; a kind of perfect image or field of vision that mixes elements but is its own thing, a way of spending time with (white) friends but also paying homage to family?
Yeah, I had such a great childhood, I look back on that time with a lot of happiness. Growing up enjoying the quality of life we have here in Perth, becoming passionate about the environment and having a mixed upbringing that blended Western and Eastern cultures, foods and ideologies.
A usual weekend for me would involve driving home from the beach just as the sea breeze comes in, mum cooking something delicious that I could smell from the front yard when we pull in, laying in the backyard with my dog after lunch. The only things that mattered were how the surf was on that day, what was for dinner and how I could best put off doing my homework.
The most dominant themes from my childhood are definitely family, friends, the beach, sport, school and then photography started becoming really important to me during high school.
For sure. The way you describe it makes it sound idyllic. I think being mixed race is often about developing the ability to cross borders, not only as the bridge that connects the two, but also as having foundations on different islands. This is about being proud of being Malayali and Kiwi in your own case. Can you talk about how photography can bring people together from different places?
Photography has allowed me to work with people from many different ages, cultures, races and backgrounds. In a personal sense, it has given me a purpose to meet these people - as in to photograph them. But in general, there are certainly no qualifiers for someone to enjoy photography or to begin taking photos.
Being mixed race, I’m used to meeting people from different cultures and learning about their stories and life experiences, so that’s helped me when approaching strangers to photograph, or when I’m introduced to a subject I’ve never met before. I try to always connect a little bit with the people I photograph, if for no other reason that it helps give me an idea of who they are so I can do my best to represent them honestly through my work.
I’m super interested in certain people and subcultures that I maybe otherwise would admire from a distance, but photography gives me a reason and a purpose to actually push to meet them and connect with them one on one. Without that there are so many people I never would have met and so many places I never would have been.
I try to always connect a little bit with the people I photograph, if for no other reason that it helps give me an idea of who they are so I can do my best to represent them honestly through my work.
If that is the positive side of the story, how has racism played a role in your own life, and, what do you see in the photography industry? You did begin your career as a surf photographer, and, we have spoken about how it was welcoming environment for you, but what do you make of the images that circulate and how we see the world now?
I was one of only a few of dark-skinned kids at my school and generally in my neighbourhood growing up, and I experienced my fair share of racism. I’ve had strangers randomly make comments, people yelling abuse at me from cars driving past and on the sporting field it’s always a go-to for people trying to get under your skin. Not to say I’ve had it way worse than anyone else but I definitely grew up with that shaping me and when I was young it really hurt my self-confidence, like I really just wanted to blend in and not be ‘different.’
I think as I got through my later teenage years I experienced that less, met more people from different backgrounds and travelled a lot which opened my eyes to lots of different cultures. I became really proud of my heritage and also realised how much my family meant to me and how they had to overcome the same things as me and kind of just got on with it.
Photography has mostly been a departure from those attitudes for me, same with surfing as you said. But, I think generally the world is moving in a positive direction and people are more aware of these issues. It’s just easier for people to get their message out (whether it’s good and bad) thanks to the types of media that have evolved in the past two decades.
That inter-connectedness means we’re also seeing images from more parts of the world through the eyes of a variety of people, which is a very positive thing. Photography is perhaps less homogenised now than it has ever been, with more people given a voice to create and publish their work.
Building on from that, I am wondering if you could share with us some of the people that are doing really important things in photography now. People who are mixing and matching cultures in a new and exciting way. I am not only thinking of Asian Australians, or mixed race people, but also people who are getting the image right no matter where they have come from?
I think anyone who highlights or represents people who have traditionally lacked a voice, who examines cultural identity and the concepts of race, prejudice, conflict and injustice is making important work that will be looked back on in years to come as a statement of the time we are living in. There has been some amazing documentary work that I’ve seen from countries like Venezuela, the United States and Syria in recent years that has really opened my eyes and encouraged me to look into coverage of issues that I may not have otherwise known about. Those are important events in the world today that will eventually be looked back on in years to come.
As for people who are simply making great photographs, I gravitate toward the type of work where there is a sense of narrative and the photos are presented in a tangible format. That might be print, an exhibition… there is a lot of great stuff being published on the web too—anything that makes you stop, pay attention and detach for a minute.
It’s a bit of a cliché to hate on Instagram and the way images are presented there but it is certainly difficult to immerse yourself fully when you can so easily just keep swiping and you’re encouraged to view so much visual matter in as short a time as possible. I certainly participate in that endless cycle too but I’m shifting the focus of my work to a place where I put out projects each year that have a purpose or at least a solid narrative that explains why they were produced in the first place.
It’s a bit of a cliché to hate on Instagram and the way images are presented there but it is certainly difficult to immerse yourself fully when you can so easily just keep swiping and you’re encouraged to view so much visual matter in as short a time as possible.
Is there anything where you see yourself reflected in the world and what would you like to see more of when it comes to photography?
I definitely see photography that I identify with in different ways. Like, projects that look at suburban Australiana appeal to my upbringing and the memories I have from that time. Same goes for anything about sports and the ocean, being a minority, big families, just anything that is a part of who I am today and how I was raised.
I read an interview recently with a photo editor about commissioning more young female photographers because she realised that the majority of the photography the world has ever seen has been through a very particular set of eyes, that being middle aged and male. I’ve certainly seen people be screened out of jobs because of their background and not their work. Like, I’ve seen people assume a younger photographer is not ready for a job because of their age and it’s like, there are heaps of young people out there making fucking amazing work!
So, I’d love to see more people have the opportunity to be judged on their merits a photographer, and not have their age or demographic immediately pre-judge them. Again, I think all of these issues are trending in a positive direction, and people are more aware of them, so I have a lot of faith in that happening.
And finally, can you speak to us about the future you would like to create in the community, in Perth, as a mixed race person?
I was in New York City a few years ago and it really stuck out to me that you can be considered a New-Yorker no matter your accent, your skin colour or where you were born. I’d love that to be the case here too – like if your values are solid, you’re an Australian through and through. In Perth I think a lot of the time if you don’t look a certain way people assume you aren’t originally from here or that you don’t live here.
Maybe it’s a little unfair to compare the most cosmopolitan city in the world to our little isolated corner of the globe, but Perth is a great place that has taken huge strides to be where we are, so I don’t mind aiming high. If I can help push that by talking about my own experiences and my identity then I’m happy.
Find out more
Interview by Robert Wood
Photographs by Leah Jing