Paul Knight wins Bowness Photography Prize 2009

The artist Paul Knight has won Australia's most prestigious photographic award, the $20 000 William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize for 2009.

Knight's photograph 14 months # 01 was selected by the eminent judging panel as the standout work among the more than 2 000 photographs submitted for this year's prize.

After a rigorous selection process, judges Anne Ferran, Helen Ennis and MGA Director Shaune Lakin chose Knight's intimate portrayal of a man and woman because of its visual purity and tremendous empathy for its subject .

Knight is one of Australia's most significant young photographers. His work is represented in many public collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, and Monash Gallery of Art. He is represented by Neon Parc.

The prize, presented at the MGA on Thursday 26 November at 7:00pm, is a wonderful opportunity to view some of the most important Australian photography produced over the past year.

Melbourne artist Owen Leong was the winner of the $1 000 People's Choice Award 2009

Bowness Photography Prize has been judged!

Join us for the announcement of the $20,000 winner tonight (Thursday 26 Nov) at 6.30pm.

People's choice voting will close at 7pm and $1,000 winner announced also.

Photographs: Shaune Lakin, Helen Ennis & Anne Ferran

2009 William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize

Some of Australia’s most important photographers have been selected as finalists for MGA’s 2009 $20,000 William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize.

From 2,000 photographs submitted by 450 entrants, the judging panel has short listed 50 photographs for this year’s prize. In contention are photographs by many of the country’s best-known photographers as well as emerging artists. One of these finalists will win the $20,000 prize and $1,000 People's Choice Award.

Announcement from 6.30Pm Thursday 26th November 2009

Photograph: Bronek KOZKA
EH Holden1964, 2008
ink-jet print
86 x 131 cm
courtesy of the artist and Bett Gallery, Hobart

FREE Surrealist Photography Forum - 2pm next Saturday 24 October!

Join panellists Pat Brassington, Anne Marsh and Adrian Martin for a discussion of surrealism and the medium of photography. Surrounded by the work of Roger Ballen, discover the role of the beautiful, the confronting and the marvellous in photography.

2pm Saturday 24 October 2009
FREE event

Bookings 03 9562 1569 or mga@monash.vic.gov.au

image: Roger BALLEN Terminus 2005 Carbon pigment print, copyright Roger Ballen

Have you seen our posters around Melbourne?

If so - we'd love to see some photos!
Send them to mga@monash.vic.gov.au

South Africa has been a recurring theme in MGA’s exhibition program this year, from our first show of the year, Then and Now, to the current Roger Ballen exhibition. Tonight’s episode of Louis Theroux’s documentary series apparently focuses on the persistence of exclusively white communities in South Africa. If our exhibitions have peaked your interest in South Africa, you might like to tune in your tube. It screens on Channel 7 at 11:30pm.

Come draw on our wall! - week two

Come draw on our wall - first weekend

Come write on our wall - Days 3&4

Thursday 3 September 2009














Wednesday 2 September 2009

Around the Albert Street galleries

The Albert Street Galleries in Richmond just happen to be showcasing some interesting examples of contemporary photography by Melbourne-based artists at the moment.

Karen Woodbury has Jane Burton's latest series, Ivy, on display. It's Jane doing what Jane probably does better than anyone else; gothic psycho-scapes with an antipodean underbelly. This latest body of work goes sepia, evoking daguerreotype dreams of nineteenth century whimsy. See this now! And then look out for her upcoming survey at Glen Eira, which will include work from MGA's collection

Jenny Port Gallery is showing a new body of work by the VCA's wunderkind, Chantal Faust. In the accompanying essay, Ted Colless tells us that the show is all about Chantal giving head to a flat bed scanner. That's a good place to start; the work is more broadly concerned with the digital mediation of intimacy and leads the viewer into some truly fascinating pictorial spaces.

And Anita Traverso Gallery has some photography from its stockroom in their front space. If you missed the solo exhibitions by John Bodin and Onerva Utriainen earlier in 2009, this is your chance to catch-up.

image: Chantal Faust Tiki

Come draw on our wall! Day 2

Tuesday 1 September

Come draw on our wall!

For the duration of Brutal Tender Human Animal: Roger Ballen Photography a giant blackboard will be located in the foyer of MGA – come and leave your mark!

We'll be documenting each day's progress and once the board is full we'll rub it off so other visitors can contribute


Monday 31 August