I always imagined that Paradise would be a kind of library.
From the Australian Book Industry-Award winning author of Australian Abstract.
‘Containing a sublime collection of works, Amber Creswell Bell’s book is a deeply fascinating insight into Antipodean portraiture.’ – DAVID WENHAM
Since the advent of the camera nearly two centuries ago, a portrait is no longer expected to be an exact likeness. From surrealist renderings to abstract interpretations, contemporary artists have shed the convention of traditional portraiture, experimenting with an array of styles to convey the personality and character of their subjects.
In About Face, Amber Creswell Bell examines the practices of a diverse canvas of portrait painters in Australia and New Zealand. The dynamic nature of both the artists and their work reflects an evolution of culture, society and creative practice. These painters use portraiture to convey a narrative, engage with social, political or environmental issues or evoke the complexity of the human experience; some are simply fascinated by human faces.
Whatever the artist’s motivation, every work makes clear that portraiture has always been a powerful means of telling stories and exploring our individual and collective identities.



Staff recommends...
The witty new novel from this internationally acclaimed Polish author blends horror, folklore and feminist parable.
In September 1913, Mieczyslaw, a student suffering from tuberculosis, arrives at a health resort in what is now western Poland. Every day, its residents gather in the dining room to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur, to obsess over money and status, and to discuss the great issues of the day – will there be war? Do devils exist? Are women inherently inferior?
But disturbing events are happening in the guesthouse and its surroundings. Someone-or something-seems to be infiltrating their world. As our student attempts to decipher the sinister forces at work, little does he realise they have already chosen their next target.
As in her acclaimed novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Tokarczuk blends horror story, comedy, folklore, and feminist parable with brilliant storytelling.
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