With 90 exhibitions and 123 international and local artists the PHOTO 2022 Festival is on view from 29 April until 22 May. This impressive line-up has another feather in its cap with 24 specially commissioned projects and too many world premieres to name! Among the new works we find presentations from exciting artists such as Dean Cross, Atong Atem, Hannah Brontë, Patrick Pound, Naomi Hobson, and more.
Among the wealth of outstanding exhibitions to view in person which are united by an exploration of the human condition, or ‘Being Human’ the festival theme, we have earmarked a handful to eye-ball. Enjoy!
Divinely Protected – Melbourne Town Hall
Divinely Protected is a wish for protection from the earth as it moves into a new chapter: where capitalism begins to fall and Mother Nature takes over
Don’t be bashful, wear the flower behind your ear – Murray Art Museum Albury
Talia Smith explores the ebb and flow of how one connects to their culture, and the ties that bind, by situating her lived experience of the Pacific or Moana diaspora.
Land of Milk and Honey – ARC ONE Gallery
These surreal scenes have been captured at sites that have been drastically altered in some way by human activity; you’ll observe sensuous materialism as a conduit for subconscious feelings.
Speak the Wind – Monash Gallery of Art
Iranian/Australian artist Hoda Afshar proffers an enigmatic view of the rituals and lives of the people in the Strait of Hormuz.
Also, don’t miss the ‘Icon series’ with photography from Helmut Newton and Cindy Sherman.
There is an abundance of online events in real time, and with so many to choose from we’ve selected a few below that stand out.
Our pick of online events at PHOTO 2022 ‘Being Human’
Talk: Yuriyal (Eric Bridgeman) – 1 May 2pm
Hear artist Yuriyal discuss his artistic practice which shares and facilitates intimate and meaningful exchanges within men’s spaces, the artist’s studio, the rugby field and the ‘hausman’, a tradition Papua New Guinean men’s house
Ageing: The Ultimate Taboo – 12 May 7pm
A discussion with artists that will look at the ways photographers are normalising ageing, and visualising the changing body with pride and positivity.
First Nations: Photography and Culture – 10 May 5:30pm
Artists and arts workers ask; How are First Nations artists re-educating and reclaiming cultural ways of thinking through photography and artistic practice?
Digital Selves – 19 May 5:30pm
As the line between our real-life and online selves is blurred what does this mean for our ongoing sense of self and how implicit is photography in this?
Aside from the artworks themselves audiences can purchase a series of photobooks by Australian artists Emma Phillips and Atong Atem, published by Photo Australia and Perimeter Editions.
To enjoy the full line-up of programs, exhibitions and events head to photo.org.au