Soluble fish by Glen O'Malley

This work is 30 centimetres high by 47 centimetres wide. It is a silver gelatin photograph and is displayed in a light wooden frame with a thick white mat board.

A black and white photograph taken underwater in a pool, of two figures, one behind the other in the water. The first figure is slightly right of centre with only the long slender legs and women’s dress shoes visible. The figure in front captures the moment the second figure dives at an angle from the top right corner and submerges into the pool, with arms positioned along their sides and air bubbles rising from the head and into the surrounding water. This diving figure wears a polka dot dress and only their body from their head to their shin bones is shown.

The surface of the floor and walls of the pool have a distinct concentrated pebble shaped pattern like impacted earth or concrete. Streaks of light break through the surface of the water and descend down into the water in all directions, a web-like arrangement and moving pattern of reflecting light beams on the walls and floor of the pool. A shadow of grey is cast beneath the figure standing in the pool wearing shoes.

Towards the bottom left-hand corner in black ink in capitals are the words, ‘SOLUBLE FISH’ in the far bottom right hand corner the artist has initialled the print GOM and dated it apostrophe 95.

Born in Brisbane, Glen O’Malley grew up in a household where his father encouraged him to paint and draw and to look at art. At his graduation as an art teacher, he was given a Werra rangefinder camera and, from then, his medium of choice became photography. O’Malley has exhibited nationally and internationally since 1975 and has had over 40 solo exhibitions with works often featuring the environment of water as a key area of focus and interest. O’Malley now lives in North Queensland and is represented in many public and private collections including the Australian National Gallery.

This work was acquired for the QUT Art Collection in 1995.