Bill Henson: The Light Fades but the Gods Remain

Over thirty years have passed since Bill Henson made his iconic Untitled 1985/86series. Those mesmerizing photographs cast a hazy procession of people and placesfrom Melbourne’s suburb of Glen Waverley, interspersed with dreamlike vignettes ofEgyptian structures.

Now, commissioned by Monash Gallery of Art, Henson has revisited his homesuburb to create new work. While these photographs return to Glen Waverley, theyshow an environment that appears to have slipped out of linear time. Henson’s newimages are sumptuous and resplendent in their grandeur, offering a view of what is‘just down the street’, but seem to come from another age. Together, the two seriesprovide a glimpse into Henson’s brilliant mind as he ponders the passing of time.Bill Henson: The Light Fades but the Gods Remain, accompanied by an exhibition of bothseries of work at Monash Gallery of Art, celebrates an extraordinary artist at two stagesin his career. The publication includes extracts by various authors who have had animpact on Henson, as well as text by Monash Gallery of Art Senior Curator Pippa Milne.

Table of Contents

Introduction • The Photographs