Hero Banner

LIGHT INDUSTRY

Vu Quang Canh is Vietnamese refugee who came to Australia in 1978. Settling in Western Sydney, Vu obtained employment in the growing manufacturing industry almost immediately. This was also the year that he started taking photographs, when he purchased his first SLR camera.  Working in a factory during the day, Vu pursued his passion for photography during the evening, studying 2 hours each fortnight at Liverpool Technical College. He learned how to develop and print black and white film and went on to establish his own dark room to further his practice.

In the early 80’s Vu began to frequent the Fairfield community Arts Centre and as a result his work began to circulate. His work was first exhibited in the group exhibition, Silence I am Dreaming… Amplified Impressions as part of Fairfield Council’s Carnivalé in 1985. Vu has since gone on to exhibit his work at the Australian Museum and the Migrant Museum in Adelaide.

Vu retired in 2014 and in addition to continuing his passion for photography he became a member of the Clayhouse, an association of potters and ceramic artists who run workshops at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. Vu is weekly participant at the Clayhouse and a familiar face at Casula Powerhouse.

This brief pop-up exhibition has been curated to coincide with Refugees at Casula Powerhouse and previews a selection of images from Vu’s latest photographic project, Light Industry. This extensive project commenced in June this year and documents the architectural heritage of Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. An exhibition and accompanying publication of the completed project are planned for 2017.