Deadpan artefacts: creative experiments with facial expression recognition in photographic portraiture

Visual art exhibition review | Brian Rope

Deadpan artefacts: creative experiments with facial expression recognition in photographic portraiture | Melita Dahl

ANU School of Art & Design Gallery, Wed 22 Apr 2026, 10:30 am - Fri 15 May 2026, 3:00 pm

An early graduate of the ANU School of Art & Design, Melita Dahl later undertook postgraduate study at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany. Her work is held in major public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Museum and Gallery and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, and has been exhibited widely in Australia and abroad. This exhibition is presented as part of a Higher Degree by Research examination.

In the room sheet, Dahl tells us that “Over the past three decades, photography has evolved from its traditional role as an indexical imprint of the world into a fluid, computational space shaped by digital transformation.”

It is within that context that Melita Dahl has used the photographic portrait as a framework for research exploring “datafication of pose and expression through creative experiments engaging with Facial Expression Recognition (FER) technologies.” A key focus has been the neutral category in FER, which closely aligns with the so-called deadpan expression.

Dahl’s practice has long engaged the portrait as an experimental site where cultural and technological forces intersect with the history of photographic practice. While discussing her 2021 Portrait exhibition at Photo Access, I referred to how we try to interpret facial expressions. And how looking into a person’s eyes can supposedly tell us what that person thinks and feels. In essence, that is what this exploration is all about.

Deadpan portrait photography has frequently been presented as an "objective" form of documentation that gives no clues about what the subject might be thinking. Focusing on the neutral face - found to be measurable through facial expression recognition technologies - Dahl traces a correlation with the deadpan. She has used this interplay as a conceptual bridge in her research, connecting the conventions of analogue portraiture with contemporary data-driven approaches. As a result, her works “explore how neutrality operates across the intersecting fields of portraiture, photography and technology.”

The works on display include ten high-quality pigment ink prints on archival paper. There are also three 4K video loops and an “interactive data visualisation”. The latter is a fascinating Web application. It draws on the National Portrait Gallery’s photographic collection. The portraits have been visually and contextually filtered and sorted, then classified and arranged according to pose and expression, particularly the Deadpan. At the exhibition opening, I watched numerous people standing looking at the tiny reproductions of those portraits moving about the projection with information regarding assessed facial expressions, and the video loops, for lengthy periods. The facial expressions I saw on the viewers’ faces revealed nothing to me about what they were thinking!

So, let’s look at some of the exhibits here. Firstly, a 2019 print titled happy (0.96). When you look at the facial expression, do you see a happy face? If not, what sort of facial expression do you see?

Melita Dahl, happy (0.96), 2019, Pigment Ink Print on Archival Paper, 52.4 x 69.9cm

Next, a 2021 print titled Deadpan 9.980549278246. The portrait here is accompanied by some “scores” which provide us with more information than the portrait alone would.

Melita Dahl, Deadpan 9.980549278246, 2021, Pigment Ink Print on Archival Paper, 80x60cm

Here’s a 2026 image from the Perspective Machine series. A fine piece of art.

Melita Dahl, Perspective Machine 02, 2026, Pigment Ink Print on Archival Paper, 60x80cm

And here’s a still from a 2026 video Deadpan/Neutral – A comparative analysis. A triple Deadpan portrait no less.

Melita Dahl, Deadpan|Neutral – A comparative analysis, video still, 2026

All the prints in the exhibition are very high quality and are fine pieces of art as well as providing much information to viewers about the results of Dahl’s research. Those who have not been Doctor of Philosophy students may be challenged by the research concept and outcomes, but that doesn’t matter. Being challenged is a good thing for us all - and what better way to be challenged than by a great exhibition?

If you are unable to visit the exhibition, I encourage you to check out Dahl’s website https://melitadahl.net/. Those of you who can visit the exhibition should check the opening days and hours and be aware that the gallery will be closed to the public during examination times.

This review is also available on the author's blog and in The Printer June 2026.

Emotional Landscapes I

Exhibition Review: Photography | Brian Rope

Emotional Landscapes I | Jenny Adams, Julie Delves, Eva van Gorsel & Delene White

ANCA Gallery, Dickson | 17 July - 4 August 2024 

This art exhibition at the ANCA Gallery with the Tinshed Art Group examines the emotional connections that humans have with the natural world. It makes observations about the nuanced and intricate interaction between the natural world and humankind. It looks at how humans affect the climate and the earth, but it also maintains optimism that appreciating nature's marvels makes us feel a part of it and inspires us to take constructive action. Through this investigation, the show hopes to spark reflection, foster empathy, and motivate viewers to dedicate themselves to the pursuit of a peaceful and long-lasting cohabitation with the natural world.

The participating artists work with various mediums. Jenny Adams and Julie Delves paint with acrylic on canvas. Delene White uses oils on canvas, found objects, and fibreglass & silicone. I enjoyed all their works very much, particularly White’s installation The bigger picture, with its lightweight wall marching ants. 

However, I will concentrate here on the photography of Eva van Gorsel - since it is the art form in which I work myself and, so, am best qualified to discuss. This artist’s seventeen pieces are archival pigment prints. The seventeen works form a series created by van Gorsel for this exhibition. They are all of a high standard and I was most pleased to see several of them had already been purchased when I visited.

Watching Out explores the fact that human development and the pursuit of food security have been intertwined throughout history. The artist notes that deforestation for cultivation disrupts ecosystems, leading to biodiversity loss and climate change. She reminds us that humanity needs to watch over the landscapes and ecosystems we depend on for survival, making concerted efforts toward environmentally friendly and socially responsible land use practices.

In that piece, two or more images have been combined into a beautifully blended composite showing something of the interactions between humans and a rural landscape. So there is a human looking out over the landscape, plus a section of fencing and parts of a building constructed by humans.

Watching Out © Eva van Gorsel

The same approach has been taken with most of the artist’s other works, but the messages are diverse. For example, Morning Flight includes birds and van Gorsel’s artist statement speaks about how engaging with natural environments has been linked to improved mental health, increased creativity, and heightened feelings of belonging fostering a deeper connection with the natural world.

Morning Flight © Eva van Gorsel

I particularly appreciated Encroachment. It incorporates a drawing of Canberra’s central national capital area and two examples of the native animals seen in the city’s urban areas. This is all about the need for urban planning that achieves sustainable developments.

Encroachment © Eva van Gorsel

There are also works about foxes, weeds and habitats. One artwork is titled Endemophilia. That word may not be familiar to you. If that is the case, let me tell you that it is about the particular love manifest in the people of a place that is special to them. It is what gives people a particular sense of belonging as opposed to a global sense of place. This image shows us an example of the type of water and forest environment where the artist feels a deep sense of belonging.

Endemophilia © Eva van Gorsel

Other works tell us to stop messing with the environment, speak about the unpredictability of nature, discuss the history of climate extremes, reference the fact that water is essential for life and note that global carbon emissions have surged to record levels.

This exhibition most successfully does what it set out to do. I commend it to you and applaud all the artists.

This review is also available on the author's blog here.