Born in 1955 Eketahuna, New Zealand, Doc Ross is a self-taught photographer. Since moving to Christchurch in 1998, Ross has been one of the city’s most intimate biographers, explaining his passion as “capturing fleeting social and urban transactions with a flâneur’s eye."
Known for an ever changing practice, one minute documenting the cities people and streetscape, the next creating social commentary that is far from the visual realities of the street.
His work was included in Sotheby’s, New York ‘Contemporary Photography from Australia and New Zealand’ exhibition in 2002, Ross’ work and photo-books are held in public and private collections in New Zealand, and around the World. Including the CAG Christchurch and MOCA Sydney.
Shared Lines: Pūtahitanga 2020
Shared Lines: Aotearoa in Japan 2020
Say Candy and Ronnie have you seen them yet, photographic painting, 2019, 360x510
The traveller, photographic painting, 2019, 360x510
These pictures are from the exhibition, cautious optimism - fantasyland
For the past 8 years I have concentrated my work on the city and it’s people as it transitions from old City to new City, a transition that in respect to my interests is now complete. My focus has always been on a perceived state of mind of the people who live here, from initial traumatisation through frustration into a cautiously optimistic state of normality. The cynical amongst us would say the veneer of the shiny new steel and glass is very thin, and behind it no substance other than a wall of clothes and a skinny latte, the less cynical among us will say the city has never been better, safer or so vibrant. These pictures simply represent for me a time of melancholia and cheerfulness in equal amounts, a fantasyland were we can all happily see what we want to see.
Shared Lines: Wellington 2017 / Kaikōura 2019
Untitled – Christchurch (2012) photographs, 430x610
These photographs are from an ongoing series of images creating a (so far) 4-year snapshot of the people of Christchurch and the City during the recovery-rebuild. This Christchurch Dilemmas episode pretty much sums up the work.