The Lost Boys is a photographic series of work I have been shooting for almost 10 years now, that aims at identifying the Australian male identity within the diverse Australian landscape. Exploring an amalgamation of distinctive, and disparate environments associated with the iconography of Australia whilst capturing a very vulnerable, raw and unnervingly honest illustration of young Australian men.
At the end of 2014 - after living in New York City, I returned to Australia to the tragic news that one of my friends had died from suicide. I was completely thrown. This vivacious, effervescent, sincere and generous young man, who on the outside emanated such happiness was harbouring deep, complex, undecipherable feelings that led him down a very difficult and ultimate path.
Mental Illness is still treated with such archaic stigma, and can still go completely unnoticed.
Back at the end of 2014, in the midst of this tragedy, I was also rediscovering my unyielding infatuation with the Australian landscape, after spending years in New York’s urban jungle… and thus The Lost Boys was created.
Isolated, and alone, wandering aimlessly across vast and colossal plains, each lost boy forced to confront fear and torment.
Mental illness does not discriminate no matter your age, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status or geographical location - it can effect anyone and often effects everyone.
The very nature of capturing so many differing, Australian backdrops is a very literal metaphor for the upsetting fact that mental illness is omnipresent and rather eternal.
For this in mind, the work is continuous, and always developing. I am yet to complete this series of work…