Social eyes
Annette sharp
08/04/2001
Sun Herald
 
OUR preoccupation with celebrity is as much to do with our curiosity about how the other half lives as it is envy. 

Magazines such as Hello! and InStyle are successful worldwide because so many readers enjoy poring over their spreads on 
celebrities' homes and lifestyles. 

But a look at the lives of some of Australia's most popular actors and musicians, as captured through the lenses of their 
own cameras, comes as something of a shock. 

Where are the plush Italianate lounge suites? The designer wardrobes? The bowls and bowls of beautiful flowers adorning 
every corner of their lives? 

An InStyle photo exhibition at the MCA in Sydney last week revealed two simple truths: 1) For the most part Australian 
stars are struggling financially, and; 2) They care a whole lot less for stylists than their American counterparts. 

Actors Rachel Griffiths, Susie Porter, David Wenham, Alex Dimitriades, Rose Byrne and John Polson joined musicians Tex 
Perkins, Mark Seymour and Deni Hines and a host of other notables including radio presenter Merrick Watts, theatre 
company boss Robyn Nevin and TV personality Rove McManus in documenting a day in their life for InStyle's first birthday 
"Shoot-Out" exhibition. 

The pictures reveal a group of people whose lives are simple and earthy, if not steeped in nostalgia. 

Deborah Mailman is pictured wielding an axe in her neglected Bondi backyard. 

Then there are David Wenham's photos of his parents lounging around their home, Mark Seymour's photo of his young daughters 
standing on the front seat of the family car (an old Holden, it seems) and Merrick Watts's homage to his old underpants. 

It's not what you might expect from the cream of Australia's arts community. No, it's much more.