There is a moment of truth for the big-game hunter when, eye to eye with his prey, the distinction between hunter and hunted becomes, for an instant, blurred. There is the possibility that, in the few seconds after the short, the prey, carried forward by the impetus of its onward rush, will also destroy the predator.
John Voss, who recently held a show entitled Photophobia at the Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney, is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts degree at the Tasmanian School of Art, Hobart. Somewhere between the roving naturalist and the big-game hunter, Voss frequents social "watering -holes"-public events or large private functions where numbers of people engage in ritualistic activity-political rallies, or society balls where the presumably rich and powerful gather to flaunt their position and wealth. In these instances Voss's work is to a certain extent orchestrated-the expectation of some sort of masquerade provides him with the material he needs for one aspect of his work.
The enigma of the public image both fascinates and frustrates Voss, the emphasis, that is, on outward appearance as symbolic of status. He works simultaneously to reinforce and deconstruct this concept, so that the heroic performance becomes cheap theatrics, and the unconscious or unguarded moment reveals another reality behind the mask.
Since 1984 Voss has made a point of photographing politicians, in particular Prime Minister Bob Hawke, whom he sees as a powerful patriarchal figure. His studies of Hawke, however, are not intended as a personal parody, but as a representation of a political archetype. Hawke's predictable public profile provides a convenient base and challenge for comparison and deconstruction.
The second type of image used by Voss derives