Catherine Russ - 'In the Quiet' - 3 March to 6 April 2023 at Photospace Gallery, Wellington Aotearoa NZ

Photograph: Catherine Russ, from 'In the Quiet', 2020-21

[Uppdated 2pm, 2/3/23]

CATHERINE RUSS – IN THE QUIET
Photospace Gallery, 3 March–6 April, 2023

In the summer of 2018, I began photographing in the early hours of the morning around Palmerston North’s CBD. Often, I would be thinking of friends and family who were living overseas, and I particularly enjoyed posting on social media, images I’d taken that morning. Each time I walked and photographed, a little bit of ‘home’ was channelled to Las Vegas, Birmingham, New York, Berlin etc. 
The response was positive and immediate! It became evident that my friends were enjoying this regular insight into life back home. The light, the space, the emptiness … all so normal here. It made me view things differently. I started to gather images that I knew would spike an interest if you were residing in any other place in the world.  
In November 2020 I received a grant from the Earle Creativity and Development Trust to help produce this series. The images are largely buildings from a range of small towns and settlements in the regions around Palmerston North.  
My preference is to keep things simple. I use minimal gear and like to draw as little attention as possible to my activity. I’m generally in the CBD or Main Street where the space is public, rather than photographing people’s homes. I may only ever walk past a place once and if all the components I’m looking for are there, I’ll spend time creating the shot. 
- Catherine Russ, 2023

Special thanks to the individuals listed below who have all helped me complete this series. 
Acknowledgements:
Earle Creativity and Development Trust
Oliver Zavala
James Gilberd
Christian Hogue 
Andrew Francis
Cathy Ellis
Simon Francis 

 All photographs were taken between 18 November 2020 – 7 November 2021
Printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin 310gsm
Open edition.

Catherine Russ - Bio 

Growing up in Palmerston North, Russ was influenced by the 1975 photography exhibition The Active Eye at the Manawatu Art Gallery, which featured many of New Zealand’s contemporary photographers of the time.
Inspired by her night class tutor, Elam Art Graduate Kathryn McCool, she started photographing in the late 1990s, completing several locally-themed projects for exhibition.
Russ’s work featured in the New Zealand Journal of Photography (Feb 1999) and has been exhibited at New Zealand House in London as well as regional public and private galleries in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
After establishing Thermostat Gallery in Palmerston North in 2001, Russ is finding the time to create her own work again after a lengthy hiatus. Her recent photographic series Park Up was exhibited at Te Manawa (PN) in 2020 and Aratoi (Masterton) in 2021.

Catherine exhibited at Photospace Gallery in 1999 - Shall We Dance? -and in 2002 with her sister Jo Russ - Getting Personal - as well as in several group exhibitions.

Photograph: Catherine Russ, from 'In the Quiet', 2020-21

Photograph: Catherine Russ, from 'In the Quiet', 2020-21

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