Tap Dancer Abermain Eisteddfod, 1979. Gallerie Smooth Pearl 310, 420 x 297mm

The Eisteddfods in Australia began in the Victorian goldfields around 1855. The Abermain Eisteddfod, starting in 1917, is the oldest continuous Eisteddfod in NSW. Abermain is the only Eisteddfod left in the Hunter, and documentation of the 1979 event will be exhibited for the first time at PACC in August 2024.

Philip Quirk, who began his career assisting Melbourne fashion photographer Bruno Benini, moved to Sydney in the mid-’70s and sought cultural subjects for his documentary photography. This body of work, his first essay on Australian society, features black-and-white portraits and competition dancing, with a few Kodachrome colour prints.

The Abermain Eisteddfod was photographed in 1979, followed by Wollongong in 1980. With support from the Visual Arts Board (Australia Council), Quirk then travelled to Wales for the National Eisteddfod proclaiming ceremony. The exhibition includes Quirk’s work from the Abermain and Wollongong Eisteddfods, as well as the National Eisteddfod of Wales.