Photography
A studio at the Cross
Juno Gemes
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Between the years 1983-1986 I had a studio at Minton House, right on the corner of Bayswater Road at the hub of the Cross. Minton House was a really lively scene then. Express Magazine was run from the next Studio to mine. Martin Armitger was a frequent visitor as was Hanna Fink who was working on the magazine. Jane Campion would access various studios while writing the script for her film The Piano, downstairs Barry Humphries and Dianna Milstead had their film production company house office. Openings and launches were often and movement between the studios was quite fluid.

My studio was called Camera Futura, as it was a large studio, we built a large darkroon there where three photographers could print at once. I interested several photographers in sharing the studio with me - it worked as a photographers co-operative. We had an exhibition with all the co-op owners contributing to it. This included photographs by Bliss Swift, Goeffrey Boccalte, Michael Riley and Juno Gemes. I often printed late into the night, all the bouncers at the clubs knew me and would ask how it was going. I always felt safe there.

Sometimes late at night I'd visit The Picolo Bar where my friend Vittorio would load me with the latest Kings cross news. I'd sometimes meet Michael Matou and I collaborated with him by producing photographs of one of his terrific shows. Tracey Moffat was making a film called Nice Coloured Girls, she came along and asked if she could use the studio as a base while filming. She was an old friend, so of course I agreed. It turned out to be several all night sessions complete with wardrobe, lighting and catering crews occupying the studio during filming. I told all my Koorie photographer friends that the studio was there for their use at any time they wanted it .

Michael Riley often printed up there and young photographers came in for advice, a yarn, or to access the collective photographic library we had there. I loved my residency at Minton House. Leon Fink was a generous landlord, he never lifted the rent while I was there. John Fink ran a hip cafe downstairs, good coffee and food just downstairs. I was sorry to let the studio go when I moved to the Hawkesbury River. Whenever I drive by I look up to check out the windows of the studio. Here on the river I still have those terrific black curtians made orginally for the darkroom at Camera Futura.

Minton House is a marvellous art deco building. It provides the most spacious and elegant studios in the Cross to my knowledge and has done for the last twentyfive years. My studio was passed on to me by Garry and Judit Shead who were resident there on the top floor for some years before me. There can be no doubt that the building itself has considerable cultural and heritage significance and certainly has been happily inhabited by some some of our most distinguished writers, painters, photographers and musicians.

The band are all kids from Nimbin, playing it gentle on the streets of the Cross.
They came into my studio to be photographed.