UCOL is proud to celebrate photography lecturer Gerry le Roux, who has had a great start to 2025, with his photographic work selected for two different exhibitions.
Le Roux is one of 11 artists from across Aotearoa, including photographers, painters, ceramic artists, textile artists, and more, whose work was selected as part of the juried exhibition 'SELFIE’ at Space Gallery in Whanganui.
The exhibition celebrates the seemingly modern phenomenon of the self-portrait, which is, in fact, rooted in art history and considered the ultimate form of self-expression.
“I was intrigued when I saw a call for entries for an art exhibition celebrating this subject, so I submitted three works and was pleased to have two selected for inclusion in the show,” Le Roux explains.
The exhibition was curated by a panel consisting of Carla Donson from the Women’s Network, Angela Tier from Utopia Gallery, and Sarah Narine from Space Studio & Gallery. The exhibition is part of the Whanganui La Fiesta! Festival, which runs until Saturday 8 March.
In his photography teaching, Le Roux uses self-portraiture as a theme to help students with their creative expression.
“Self-portraiture is a good way to experiment with different types of portrait photography without a model. It can also be a form of self-therapy, allowing the artist to explore identity visually.”
He echoes the words of photographer Sean Tucker, who suggests the self-portrait as an artistic means to “overcome our insecurities and our perceived flaws”.
In a very different context, Le Roux’s event photography was recognised with the inclusion of one of his photos in the 2025 ‘From The Pit’ New Zealand Music Photography exhibition celebrating live music photography across Aotearoa.
The photo features local rock band The Fairlight Choir, captured at the iconic Palmerston North music venue Snails. The ‘From The Pit’ exhibition will be live from May 2025.
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