Robert Ashton, Carol Jerrems, Prahran, 1970.
A year and a half ago I posted a photo by Carol Jerrems with the promise of a long post on her to follow. The time escaped me and months went by, yet I have continually thought about finally posting something on this Australian photographer. Largely unknown outside of her native country, Jerrems was born in Melbourne in 1949 and studied photography at Prahran College between 1967-70. Focusing her attention on documentary work, Jerrems "wanted to capture the raw edges of the world she saw around her, subjects others weren't focusing on artistically: sharpie subculture, street life and urban indigenous people" (Wilmoth, 2005). 'Sharpies' were suburban gangs on young males found in Australia in the 1960s and 70s, known for their violence and sharp looks- they are quoted as being solely interested in ""bashing, beer, sheilas, gang bangs - which is rape - gang fights, billiards, stealing and hanging out" (Wilmoth, 2005). Jerrems followed these youths with both a video and film camera, naively trying to direct a documentary on a gang of 15-year-old sharpie boys from Heidelberg, a Melbourne suburb, yet became the victim of their violent ways with her narrowly avoiding being raped several times. Her close proximity to these these criminals might have endangered her life, but it also provided her with ample fodder for her stark images.
Carol Jerrems, Lynn, 1976.
Carol Jerrems, Mark and Flappers, 1975.
"Her photographs engage the viewer in an intimate relationship with her subjects. It's not always a friendly intimacy - sometimes her subjects look defensive, irritated or even menacing, but you always sense that you're seeing beyond the mask into the soul."
Carol Jerrems, Flying Dog, 1970s.
Carol Jerrems, Butterfly Behind Glass, 1975.
Carol Jerrems, Juliet Holding Vale Street, 1976.
Carol Jerrems, Mark Lean - Rape Games, 1975.
Carol Jerrems, Vale Street, 1975.
The most well known of her photographs, Vale Street, centers on a local model, Catriona Brown, with two menacing Sharpie boys emerging from the shadows behind her. Characteristic of her work, the frontal focus is confrontational, hinting at a barely contained aggression under the surface. This image actually took hours to produce, with Jerrems carefully orchestrating the final product, seemingly at odds with the idea of her as a strictly documentary photographer.
Carol Jerrems, Mozart Street, 1975.
A petite redhead known for indulging in the free love of the era, Jerrems was well-respected as a photographer even while she was in school and was included in the first show at Rennie Ellis' (my other favourite Australian photographer) new gallery, Brummels, in 1972. Her photography teacher, Paul Cox, once wrote: "She had to experience everything and feel things deeply before she could record them. She lived to the fullest, then withdrew into her own world."
Carol Jerrems, Untitled photo from the series Hanging About, 1972.
Carol Jerrems, Mirror with a Memory- Motel Room, 1977.
Known also for her self portraits, often quickly snapped in the mirror, capturing quick moments of her life. For most of the 1970s these reflected images were simply tiny windows onto her life - often nude and post coital, they are also reflections of an era's mores - yet they took on a darker edge at the end of the decade. In 1979, while working as a photography teacher in Hobart she was diagnosed with polycythemia, a rare blood-related cancer. Undergoing months of painful procedures, Jerrems lived in the Royal Hobart Hospital and took to photographing her diseased and traumatized body. The three photos below are from her incredibly powerful The Royal Hobart Hospital Series, which documents the final months of her life. Carol Jerrems died in February 1980, three weeks shy of her 31st birthday. A documentary on her life and work, Girl in a Mirror, was released in 2005
Carol Jerrems, from The Royal Hobart Hospital Series, 1979.
Carol Jerrems, from The Royal Hobart Hospital Series, 1979.
Carol Jerrems, from The Royal Hobart Hospital Series, 1979.
A muse for other photographer, portraits of her can be seen below and at the top of of this post.
Paul Cox, Age of Aquarius (Carol Jerrems and Jan Hurrell), 1970.
Rennie Ellis, Carol Jerrems, 1970.
Stephen McNeilly, Carol Jerrems, Daylesford, Victoria, 1973.