Photography & place

Photographers familiar to MGA audiences such as Bill Henson, Paul Ogier (Bowness finalist 2009), Rosemary Laing, Ricky Maynard and David Stephenson are part of Photography & place, Australian landscape photography 1970s until now at AGNSW from 16 March to 29 May 2011.

The AGNSW is also hosting a symposium (9 April 2011) that will explore current ideas of place and culture by posing the question, "What do subject and object mean (or what can they mean) in photography in the 21st century?"

Speakers include:
Associate Professor David Stephenson, University of Tasmania School of Art
Dr Kyla McFarlane, Centre for Contemporary Photography
Dr Martyn Jolly, Australian National University
Dr Daniel Palmer, Monash University

The symposium is the first in a new annual series of symposia dedicated to photography, exploring new ways of thinking about the medium in the 21st century.

The exhibition includes work from eighteen artists such as Bill Henson, Jon Rhodes, Lynn Silverman, Simryn Gill, Ricky Maynard, David Stephenson, Rosemary Laing and Paul Ogier.

image:
Paul Ogier
Blue Sky I (South Australia) 2009
courtesy of the artist.

The past, present and future of photography

Have a spare 15 minutes? Fill your ears with a discussion of the past, present and future of photography. SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art), guided by their upcoming exhibitions and a fascinating forum from earlier this year, ask the question 'Is photography over?'.

You can watch and listen along here.

SFMOMA is currently showing two photography focused exhibitions: Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance, and the Camera Since 1870 and Henri Cartier-Bresson: The modern century

Hijacked Artists featured online

Flak Photo is a daily photography website that celebrates the art & culture of photography online. It's all about discovering and promoting photographers from around the world. Published six days a week by one-man-band Andy Adams in his "spare time" no less.

While they've just finished featuring works by 20 of the photographers from Hijacked 2: Australia/Germany each weekday for the last month, that's not the only reason to check them out.

They also accept submissions to be featured on the site - so to those photographers out there looking for some international exposure, this might be your opportunity.

- Stephanie

Lee Grant wins the 2010 Bowness Photography Prize

Canberra photographer Lee Grant has won this year's prestigious $25 000 William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize at Monash Gallery of Art in Melbourne.

Lee Grant's family portrait Mary with her daughters Aja and Adau, and her granddaughter Nankir is a formal portrait of a Sudanese migrant family set in their home in Canberra.

Established in 2006 to promote excellence in photography, the annual non-acquisitive William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize is an initative of the MGA Foundation. It has quickly become Australia's most important photogaphy prize.

Works by Philip Quirk, Clare Rae and Darren Sylvester received Adobe Honourable Mentions

34 artists have been shortlisted as finalists in the 2010 prize. All 34 works are on display in the exhibition (see them online here).

Get involved by voting in the People's Choice award, with $1000 going to the winning artist and four Crumpler Camera bags up for grabs for the voter.

For more information on this year's prize as well as it's history check out MGA's website

Limited places still available!

Our upcoming four-part course An armchair guide to contemporary Aboriginal art with Susan McCulloch & Emily McCulloch Childs kicks off next Thursday and will provide an in-depth and insightful introduction to contemporary Aboriginal art for the beginner, enthusiast and collector.

Get in early and purchase the full series ticket to receive a complimentary copy of the best-selling book McCulloch's Contemporary Aboriginal Art: the complete guide.

Full series subscriptions are just $135 General public/ $115 Friends of MGA
Individual sessions are $35 General/ $30 Friends of MGA

Call MGA 03 8544 0500 to book and head here for session descriptions.

Prepare to be Hijacked!

Regular MGA visitors would recall last year’s exhibition Presentation/Representation: photography from Germany which featured, amongst the other nine contemporary German artists, the work of Heidi Specker.

During Presentation/Representation’s tour to Sydney, Heidi Specker and Theo Deutinger worked together as part of an artist-in-residence project at the Sydney College of the Arts. The resulting body of work ‘Help me I am blind’ is being displayed at RMIT Gallery from 23 July–11 September 2010.

Which is just enough time to whet your appetite for some more German-Australian photographic connections. Coming to MGA at the end of October is Hijacked 2 Australia/Germany. Combining the work of 32 German and Australian photographers the book and exhibition provide an opportunity for cross-cultural conversations.

The Melbourne leg of Hijacked 2 will open at MGA on Sat 30 October 2010 and features a number of MGA Collection artists including Georgia Metaxas, Rebecca Ann Hobbs and Polixeni Papapetrou alongside some photographers whose work would be familiar from past MGA exhibitions both solo and as part of the William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize: Louis Porter, Bronek Kozka and Michael Corridore.

Image: Heidi SPECKER D'ELSI Eis 1-3 2007, Digital Fine Art Print courtesy of the artist

Christian Thompson Survey Show

Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi has just slipped this survey show into its program, after something else fell through, but it's an inspired 'filler' - not to be missed!

"Christian Bumbarra Thompson, a Bidjara man of the Kunja Nation, is a photographer, conceptual and performance artist. He is a third wave Indigenous Australian artist whose work and unique experience come from an emersion in the social and cultural zeitgeist of the 80s and 90s as an Aboriginal person. His work is a leading force in the exploration of issues of identity, race and history in Australia. In 2009 Thompson completed a DASARTS residency (Advanced Studies for Performing Arts) in Amsterdam and a residency at The Centre for Future Art Research at Arizona State University, USA. He will be the first Aboriginal person to attend Oxford University after recently being awarded the inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholarship for International post-graduate studies and will undertake a residency at Blast Theory Art Collective in the UK in August 2010. This survey show brings together photographic and video work from the last 10 years of Christian Thompson’s impressive career." (Press release)

-Stephen Zagala

Bring In Your Memorabilia Day

They came alone, in pairs and in groups, some nervous and others unsure if their questions could be answered, but also proud of their family-member’s contribution during times of war. Gently, they carried softly yellowing photographs, medals hanging from a rainbow of ribbons and hand-written letters, postcards and diaries from fathers, uncles and grand-fathers, barely legible through the passage of time.

These personal treasures and their caretakers made their way to MGA last Saturday for a very special event: four experts from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra had come to visit for Bring In Your Memorabilia Day.

For four hours Kate Dethridge, Curator of Photographs; Dianne Rutherford, Acting Curator, Military Heraldry & Technology; Helen Butler, Conservator, Paper & Photographs and Dr Karl James, Historian provided advice to over 140 visitors.

The age, origin and significance of the treasures were common queries with some visitors having only recently discovered photographs that had been hidden away. For many, their items were in need of care and they left armed with tips and suggestions to ensure their preservation for future generations. Some came away with a sense of relief, their queries answered, others with yet more questions.

MGA would like to extend its thanks to Kate, Dianne, Helen and Karl for their time and expertise, the Australian War Memorial and also the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Commemorations Program for their generous funding and support of the day.

Whilst there is just six weeks remaining to see Icon & archive: photography & the World Wars there are plenty more events to come, check out our events calendar for more details.

Image:
Kate Dethridge & Dr Karl James provide advice to gallery visitors
© Monash Gallery of Art 2010 photo: Stephanie Richter

Coming up at MGA in March & April

Continuing throughout March & April is our PASIFIKA season and focus on Sustainability & the Arts.

Download our events calendar for all the details - we hope to see you at MGA soon!

http://mga.org.au/events/MGA_EVENTS_MarchApril.pdf

Sneak Peek! Exhibitions opening this weekend

Installation is underway for TALKING TAPA: Pasifika barkcloth in Queensland

and Kiribati: putting a face to climate change (photographs by Jon Lewis)

Opening celebrations are this Saturday 13 February at 3pm - hope to see you there!

In the wintery morning some new faces appeared...