In 2017, Sean Davey was commissioned by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to produce a documentary photography document on the drawdown of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands. With nearly a month on the ground in Honiara and surrounding districts, Sean’s personal and engaging approach with Solomon Islanders produced a document of photographs that revealed the intimate daily lives of one of Australia’s Pacific neighbours.

Project Aims:

• Produce documentary photography project in Solomon Islands at the conclusion of RAMSI

• Project exhibition and accompanying catalogue of images

Project Outcomes:

• Three photography exhibitions (PhotoAccess and Parliament House in Canberra and NSW Parliament House in Sydney)

• Exhibition catalogue

• Foster new relationships between Australia and Solomon Islands

• Encourgae ongoing dialogue between Australia and Solomon Islands

• Personally engaged photography of Solomon Islands presented to an Australian audience

• Promote ongoing personal and professional relationships between Solomon Islands and Australia

‘Sean Davey came in as a photographer commissioned by DFAT to make sense of the pack down of RASMI. That sort of made me think, ‘How do you photograph this place?’, because you don’t have the language of conflict to draw on anymore.

‘Because we’re outside of this period of conflict, we’re in this period of peace. This is what peace looks like, it’s kind of so invisible that it just looks like part of everyday life, and I think that’s a really fantastic thing that Sean’s bought back from the Solomon Islands for us.”

— Shaune Lakin, Curator of Photographs, National Gallery of Australia