Ben Cauchi ambrotype

Ben Cauchi, Mere, 2002 (ambrotype).

The first decade of the 21st century saw an exponential growth in digital photography. Whether it was in reaction to this, or just coincidental, it also saw a renewed interest in old, and alternative, photographic processes. Ben Cauchi has been at the forefront of this resurgence in New Zealand.

Over the last decade his practice has evolved from traditional black-and-white prints to include ambrotypes, tintypes, cyanotypes, argyrotypes, and palladium prints. His images are deliberately anachronistic, hinting at oldness while bearing little resemblance to photography’s early images. Over the years Cauchi has often referenced both the history of photography and colonialism.