As part of DESIGN Canberra’s celebration of the work of Enrico Taglietti, PhotoAccess (in partnership with DESIGN Canberra) commissioned Canberra photographer Mark Mohell to create a series of intimate portraits of people with strong connections to Taglietti and his design work. All photographs here are therefore by Mark Mohell, and are dated 2018.
Mark Mohell and Sarah Engledow
Mark Mohell is an accomplished and respected stills photographer. Born and bred in Canberra, Mark draws much of his inspiration from the region’s unique urban landscapes and has exhibited his works widely, both locally and interstate. For almost a decade, Mark has been Image Services Manager at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), having previously worked at a range of Australian Government departments and agencies. His works are held by a number of national and regional institutions. Most notably, his portrait of inaugural director of the NPG, Andrew Sayers AM, was acquired by the gallery, and in 2015 a series of his Canberra urban landscapes were purchased by the Canberra Museum and Gallery. Working in both film and digital format, Mark is prolific in his production of work. In 2018 his collection of portraits, Taglietti People, featuring renowned architect Enrico Taglietti and the people who owned, lived and were influenced by his designs, showed as part of Design Canberra at East Hotel. His work also formed part of the Canberra Museum and Art Gallery’s 2018 show Celebration: 20 years of collecting visual art at CMAG. Other recent exhibitions include: Beauty in difference (group show) M16 Canberra; Fishers Ghost Art Award (Open Category), Campbelltown Art Centre; Lines of Site, Finding the Sublime in Canberra (2017); Memoria, platea (2016), M16 Gallery, Canberra; Still with Grace Costa, Gaffa, Sydney; Underpower, Weswal Gallery, Tamworth; Uncommon Australians, NPG, Canberra; and Urban Suburban, CMAG, Canberra (2015).
Dr Sarah Engledow, a Visiting Fellow in the Australian Studies Institute at the Australian National University, was Historian at the National Portrait Gallery from 1999 to 2019. Exhibitions she curated include So Fine: Contemporary women artists make Australian history (with Christine Clark) 2018; Nicholas Harding 28 Portraits 2017; The Popular Pet Show 2016–2017; Arcadia sound of the sea 2014–2015; Rick Amor 21 Portraits 2014; Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas 2013; White, Whiteley: The portrait of Patrick White by Brett Whiteley 2012; Jenny Sages: Paths to portraiture 2010–2011; Idle hours 2009–2010; Open Air (with Andrew Sayers and Wally Caruana) 2008–2009; The World of Thea Proctor (with Andrew Sayers) 2005; and the touring National Photographic Portrait Prizes of 2011, 2014 and 2017. From 2013, she worked closely with Mark Mohell to refine and achieve her curatorial vision. She wrote the catalogue essay for Mark’s exhibition TRANS in 2016.
