Matthew Abbott is a photographic artist exploring the effect of external influences on communities, and their relationship with the land that defines them.
Abbotts photographs have been exhibited extensively internationally and throughout Australia, including the Centre of Contemporary Photography, Perth Centre of Contemporary
Photography, MAMA Gallery – and are held in numerous public and private collections including the National Library of Australia. Abbotts portraits have been selected for The National Portrait Prize in 2012, 2015 and 2016.
In 2011 he completed a Masters of Studio Arts at Sydney College of the Arts. In 2013 his project ‘On country in Arnhem Land’ Australia won the Sydney Morning Herald Documentary Photographer Award. In May 2016 an image from the series ‘The Land Where the Crow Flies Backwards’ won the judges commendation at the CLIPP Prize at the PCP.
His editorial clients include The Washington Post, The Guardian, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Saturday Paper, Der Spiegel, Abbott also works regularly for global and national NGO's and non-profit organisations.
Abbott is now focusing on long term personal art projects specialising in environmental portraiture, as he continues his series ‘The Land Where the Crow Flies Backwards’ documenting the impact of global warming and the decline of communities along the Murray Darling basin in Central-Eastern Australia. His latest project “When They Sing of Australia They Never Mention the Flies” a collaborative endeavour with Photographer Lee Grant following Australia’s Highway 1, is due to be completed in 2017.
Personal Website:
www.matthewabbott.com.au
Instagram @mattabbottphoto