MICHAEL REID BEYOND
Scott Perkins
ARTIST PROFILE
Eora/Sydney-based contemporary photographer Scott Perkins distils the natural world into minimalist poetry, producing ultra-refined, abstracted landscapes steeped in moody atmospheres. Shot in remote corners of Australia, New Zealand, Europe and beyond, his brooding forests and sweeping seascapes are pared back to elemental forms: softly gradated horizons, starkly silhouetted escarpments and silvery skies whose hazy, granular shimmer glints like celestial dust. Housed in bespoke, architecturally formed timber frames and softly glowing light boxes, each portal-like piece operates as much like sculpture as photography, drawing the viewer into meditative, ambiguous realms.
On the eve of our announcement of Perkins’s formal representation by Michael Reid Sydney + Berlin – and ahead of his touring solo show Uncertain Truths at Michael Reid Southern Highlands – we sat down with the artist to discuss the ideas and techniques that propel his practice. The conversation unfolded at High Res Digital, where Perkins was working alongside Australia’s pre-eminent fine-art printing specialist, Warren Macris, perfecting two new works that will appear exclusively in the Berrima iteration of Uncertain Truths, expanding on the series that debuted at Michael Reid Sydney in April 2025.
Read our interview with Scott Perkins below, and visit Michael Reid Southern Highlands – in person or online – to experience Uncertain Truths. For further information, please email danielsoma@michaelreid.com.au.
How did you first become interested in photography and when did you begin to pursue the practice professionally?
It had an unlikely incubation. The old adage that it takes 10,000 shots – I feel that applies to me. Years, indeed decades, of observing, of carving out discretionary moments to see inspiring photography, layering down my appreciation of the medium. And then some catalysts – my wife and a few bolshy photographer friends led to a Leica birthday present and being told to jump out of the observer nest into the exposed environment of actually trying to create something distinctive. The Leica global community helped shape the technical aspects, through their Academy programs, which I attended on several occasions. I should also recognise the formative influence of a gallerist whose keen eye gave me the confidence to press ahead.
What were some of your early creative influences, and how have they continued to inform your photography practice?
I see photography drawing inspiration from and pushing the boundaries of all the other disciplines. The development of more abstract forms and innovative treatments of light and shadow has contributed to our appreciation of minimalism and sculpture. My inspirations are both historic and contemporary. The early experimentation of Edward Steichen’s images which introduced abstraction to what was only a representational medium at the time, the genre creating work of Bern and Hilla Becher which revealed the hidden beauty in hard industry, the mastery of light in Ansel Adams epic American landscapes, the maestro, Hiroshi Sugimoto’s captivating reductions and abstractions, through to Andreas Gursky’s awesome contemporary dramas.
What have been some of the highlights of your photography career to date?
My first encounter with Michael Reid personally was memorable. It was a Willy Loman moment – tubes in hand, a bag with a lightbox, the generous nudge afforded by Warren Macris, a rainy day, nervousness, fogged glasses and a belief that you miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take. That Michael even agreed to meet this unknown was astonishing – and, even more so, after a laboured unfurling of a few photographs, to see the look of surprise on his face and then the faces of the MR team who gathered around and the instantaneous reaction of “there is something here” was a thrilling moment.
Could you tell us a bit about your collaborations with Warren Macris at High Res Digital?
Warren is the high priest of printing in Australia and so, of course, that was the aspirational place to go. Another cold call with an equally unexpected and generous reception. I never anticipated he would so willingly embark on the technical journey to help create an entirely new genre of lighboxes – and retain the sense of adventure despite the immense technical challenges of printing transparencies with such unforgiving gradients and tones. At times, as we jointly reject works with microscopic imperfections, I’m sure he rues that day. But he, along with a small community of framers – with special mention to Tugi at Graphic Art Mount – fabricators and other printers, have been true partners.
What was the starting point for your 2025 series, Uncertain Truths, and how did it evolve through the production process?
I am always working remotely. Out early, looking for light and shadow. In a boat at dawn, up a hill in a storm, walking in nature at dusk. Absence focuses the mind on what can be seen beyond the superficial, even if it’s wonderful. I suppose I’m looking to simplify and reduce and, in the process, expose some uncertainty. Hence “Uncertain Truths”. Each image can be understood at a simple level as landscape abstraction – the essential and timeless truth of what is factually there. But none are what they seem. Nor are they universally explainable. I hope every viewer has their own read. The best will tell a story that will sustain their engagement.
What were some of the experiences that informed the work?
There are works in this series shot in remote locations off the coast of Italy, Tasmania, the Kimberleys, and New Zealand. And yet none are overtly identifiable. I like that. Nature is a great leveller.
How do you view the series as a continuation of your previous work and perhaps as a point of departure?
The photographs are clearly family members. The large framed lightboxes intensify the photographic experience, while one work ventures into a more painterly approach. The black lightboxes fuse sculpture and photography – they are illuminated voids. And then there is a new format – small, deep-framed, wooden lightboxes – portals. They engage the viewer in a way that invites exploration. Two use Awagami paper that creates a very different experience, redolent of memories expressed through landscape.
What were some of the technical challenges in creating the works in this series, and how were you able to resolve them?
The lightboxes are technically challenging, requiring a degree of engineering and image quality that tests the marvellous crew at High Res Digital Printing. The new portals are finely milled by the craftspeople at Graphic Art Mount from specific timbers resistant to movement but capable of such treatment. And again, I use metallic papers that are beautifully printed by Pixel Perfect.
Could you tell us about some of your favourite works from Uncertain Truths? Is there a narrative thread running through the series?
You can’t choose between your children! I hope every work sustains the viewers’ engagement. I hope there is a vast array of different interpretations, drawing upon each viewer’s experiences. I hope they look marvellous on the wall.
Could you tell us about the two new works you have completed for your presentation of Uncertain Truths at Michael Reid Southern Highlands? How do they build on your series?
It was fascinating watching people engage with the portals and the reaction to the works on Awagami paper. So we have taken that and run with it, introducing new works in black portals on Awagami. And we have opened up a new, but connected, series – venturing into the abstract landscapes and taking the viewer deep into the embedded forests and trees. I’ve been looking for a different way to express what lurks in the forest. It’s a genre done well by many people. What I’m pleased with is how the confluence of light boxes, the deep portals and Awagami create a new way of experiencing these scenes.
What other projects are you looking forward to working on in the coming year?
More of the same but different. This year camera equipment is being lugged into far fetched seascapes, a remote archipelago and deep into more forests. More to follow!
