“The Worst Poem In The Universe” by Chris Hoare portrays a journey through Australia and acts as a response to the belief that it could be viewed as a lucky country. Due to the historical publishing of Donald Horne, and his ironic view towards the phrase, that is commonly heard throughout Australia, the series acts as an exploration between how good and bad luck divulge themselves on the surface.
Chris Hoare’s photo series, The Worst Poem In The Universe, presents a journey through Australia in an effort to respond to the notion of luck. Though there are two types of luck, good and bad, Australia seems to have a unique affinity towards it. In 1964, Australian author Donald Horne displayed his idea that Australia could be deemed “The Lucky Country” in a book with the same title. Though the publishing was flooded with irony and criticism, the phrase stuck and is at times still used as an affirmation.
Chris Hoare titled his photo series in reference to the poem “Our Future” written by Gina Rinehart, the wealthiest person in Australia. The poem has been considered as the “worst poem in the universe” not only because it’s lack of poetic prose, but because the poem reads like a manifesto from someone who openly denies climate change.
The photo series presents itself as a type of exploration between the worlds of wealth and luck in Australia. Especially in Australia, a country which enjoys continued success and encompasses 18% of the worlds known mineral resources, there is a clear divide.
Chris Hoare is a photographer based in his hometown, Bristol, UK. Having completed his MA in Photography at the University of the West of England, Chris works in the gallery at the Martin Parr Foundation. Last year, Chris was one of the 4 artists selected for Paris Photo’s Carte Blanche award, in which his photographs were exhibited at the Gare Du Nord in Paris. With his photography, Chris is interested in observing areas of society that he feels are overlooked and is interested in exploring themes of identities and portraying these in a metaphorical way.
To see more of Chris’ work, visit his Cherrydeck profile or his website, here. To see more thought provoking and metaphorical photography, have a look at “The Formation of Hope in the Emerald Triangle” by Margherita Loba Amadio, or “Trash” by Tania Volobueva.
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