About Martine Perret
Martine Perret, photojournalist turned artist at the Margaret River Open Studios.
I am a photographic artist born in Paris and now live and work from my base in Margaret River. I am known for my portrayal of the Western Australian landscape, often employing aerial captures and portraiture to tell important stories of our times. My approach to artistic work is based on a career in photojournalism, including a decade covering UN peacekeeping missions in conflict zones, in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Timor-Leste and West Africa, where I documented the Ebola crisis.
Discovering the Aerial Perspective
As a peacekeeping photographer, I had regularly flown on UN helicopters on missions to remote places. I had learnt there was no better way of getting an understanding of unfamiliar terrain than to see it from above.
Outside of my work as a United Nations peacekeeping photographer, I decided to focus on more personal projects. In July 2015, I decided to fly over the salt lakes of the Western Australian Goldfields to photograph a series called Gungurrunga Ngawa (Look Above), as a sequel to my earlier books and the exhibition From Above, Margaret River Region, which captured aerial views of the southwest region of Western Australia.
ABOVE - Margaret River Region photography book
No matter how many times I would study the maps of these regions to prepare for my photography flights, nothing would match the beauty of what I could see with my own eyes. By varying my flying altitude at different times of day and playing with the sun's angle, I could capture striking colours and highlight unusual shapes and patterns.
Celebrating First Nations Languages
My recent projects Ngala Wongga (Come Talk) - Cultural Significance of Languages in the Goldfields (exhibited across Western Australia with ART ON THE MOVE and at the Australian embassy in Paris for the International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2019) and Belong – Language connecting feeling, culture, country highlighting the importance of First Nations' languages exhibited at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in Perth 2021/2022.
Watch the video (2min46)
Book of our Belong project
In December 2022, I was honoured to travel to Paris with Wardandi Elders Vivian Brockman Webb, Mitchella Hutchins and artist Roly Skender to launch the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages with the presentation of the collaborative audio-visual work Wannang Biridge (Light of the Peppermint Tree), which was originally created at The Farm Margaret River, following a residency with SymbioticA on photomicrography at CELLCentral in the school of Anatomy and Human Biology at The University of Western Australia.
Martine's photos at the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages
In the Media
I was delighted to be part of Great Australian Walks
Season 2, 2024 with Julia Zemiro.
Collections & Major Exhibitions
Martine Perret has exhibited at WA Museum Boola Bardip, Holmes Court Gallery, The Good Sheds, Bunbury Gallery, Australian Embassy in Paris and in the collection at Wesfarmers, St John of God, WA Museum, Voyager Estate.
I am truly lucky to call Western Australia home!
I hope you enjoy this visual journey above this very special place.
Martine Perret.
