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Here, Jerrems’ beloved dog Free sits between her and photographer Jon Conté (1951–2022), a close friend and fellow student at Prahran Technical College. Conté, whose demeanour is relaxed yet contemplative, recalled meeting Jerrems at Cathedral Hall in Fitzroy, Melbourne: ‘in the low-lit room I turned around and there she was, very close, “face to face”, her eyes, that shock of hair and a lovely smell. She quickly and quietly said “I think you’re beautiful can I take photographs of you?”’
In naming her beloved companion ‘Free’, Jerrems projected her hopes for the dog, and possibly even for herself, as she sought to understand her place in the world.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Gift of Mrs Joy Jerrems 1981.
© The Estate of Carol Jerrems
Carol Jerrems: Portraits is a major exhibition of one of Australia’s most influential photographers. Jerrems’ intimate portraits of friends, lovers and artistic peers transcend the purely personal and have come to shape Australian visual culture.
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