William Yang: My Generation

Twenty years ago, Sydney photographer William Yang began presenting slideshows of his work, together with his own live commentaries. These theatrical/documentary hybrids have toured the country and overseas, unfolding the various worlds that Yang has inhabited: the party scene, the gay scene, his Queensland family and his Chinese heritage.

In My Generation, Yang's tenth theatrical presentation, Yang offers a glimpse into the creative milieu of Sydney in the 70s and 80s, and it's quite an eye-opener. The biggest revelation of the night is the fact that Yang was part of the inner circle of Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick White, who shunned publicity and was notoriously grumpy.

Amazingly, the first photo Yang shows of the curmudgeonly White has him laughing. We see White's Centennial Park house, inside and out; his dinner parties; and his life partner, Manoly Lascaris. Yang's more famous, eerie portraits of the writer are also shown, as well as images of the frail White just prior to his 1990 death.

Having studied architecture in Brisbane, Yang moved to Sydney in 1969. Here he quickly fell in with theatrical crowd, befriending the likes of Rex Cramphorn, Jim Sharman, Kate Fitzpatrick and Robyn Nevin. He met Patrick White through his theatre pals because White's plays were enjoying a renaissance in the 1970s.

He was also friendly with major Sydney art figures such as Martin Sharp and the late Brett Whiteley. The Dickensian rollcall of characters he knew and photographed also includes Little Nell, Tiny Tim, Margaret Fink, Jenny Kee and Peter Tully. Yang shows images shot at fashion parades, art events, and wild, bohemian parties.

Delivering his commentary in a droll, unpretentious tone of voice that is highly engaging, Yang offers a fascinating evening's journey into a vibrant era. Guitarist/singer/harmonica player Daniel Holdsworth performs an evocative live musical accompaniment, which includes some comedic musical interludes.

And a little comic relief never hurts in a William Yang show. Because he is a photographer, his presentations inevitably lurch towards melancholy as we see happy people age before our eyes and, often, disappear. Many of Yang's friends in the gay community died in the 80s and 90s because of AIDS, and the latter part of the evening is deeply sad.

Still, this is a show that nobody interested in Sydney's recent cultural history should miss. Nick Dent