Mary Hutchinson's 'Cuba People' - Photospace Gallery, 9th-20th September 2016

"Wellington’s urban environment is rich with opportunities to observe and capture life in the city. With the images in this Cuba People series I aim to celebrate the everyday, the surprising, the humorous, the beautiful, and the sad aspects of people out and about in this unique street in central Wellington, Aotearoa-New Zealand."
- Mary Hutchinson, 2016

From September 9th to 20th, 2016, Photospace Gallery, 37 Courtenay Place, Wellington, presents a selection of Mary Hutchinson's 'Cuba People' series. This work was exhibited by Mary in Thistle Hall, in upper Cuba Street, earlier in 2016. As the exhibition was only for one week, it is worthwhile to revisit the photographs in a slightly different context. Also, Mary has completed several photography courses and workshops held here (under photocourse.nz), the most recent of which resulted in the group exhibition '4 photographers' at Photospace Gallery, featuring Mary's '3 Cities' work - images from London, Washington DC and Wellington.

Cuba People is Mary Hutchinson's third street photography book; the others are Three Cities (2015), and Newtown Forever (2016). All three books are available for sale at Photospace Gallery.

Photo by Mary Hutchinson, from 'Cuba People'

Photo by Mary Hutchinson, from 'Cuba People'

...They have a story to be told. I want to tell it, I want to be a voice for the unfamous people. Those are the people who interest me. Whether it’s a guy in Miami who goes to a dance or it’s someone who’s dying in Ethiopia, they’re the unfamous people that I care about. I feel a certain purity in them that’s real, and I want to document their lives...”
- Mary Ellen Mark in The Photo Essay (Photographers at work, a Smithsonian Series. 1990).

Photo by Mary Hutchinson, from 'Cuba People'

Addenda 24th November 2016 - relating to a question posted in a comment
Amber - sorry, but for some software-related reason I was unable to approve your comment. "Hi ,id like to know the contact details for Mary Hutchinson as photos of me and my friends were published without knowing."

Thank you for commenting. Your concern is perfectly understandable, and it addresses a growing issue in photography.
I would like to say on Mary's behalf that her photography, like all street photography, forms an ongoing art project. Or call it journalism if you prefer - it's a bit of both. Although the books and prints are offered for sale, the revenue is well below the cost of the exercise and no one is making any money out of the photos included.
Mary is one of a number of Wellington photographers engaged in documenting the life of the city, including Hans Weston, Julian Ward, Peter Black, Gabrielle McKone, Ans Westra, Camus Wyatt, et al - each in their own way and for their own reasons, and all of whom have shown at Photospace Gallery at some time. It is a rich tradition in photography nationally and  internationally, and if it becomes a restricted practise then a valuable visual record of human society and culture will cease progress.
Mary Hutchinson can be contacted via her website www.maryhutchinson.co
(This website address is also printed in her books.)