Image:
Tajette O’Halloran
Life’s a Mess 2021
When: Friday 13th May 2022, 6PM
Where: Ledger Gallery
Moderator: Eric Nash
Panellists: Sean Davey and Aishah Kenton, Alana Holmberg, Dean Sewell, and Tamara Voninski
Price: This is a FREE event
Bookings: Numbers are strictly limited. To secure your place, email the gallery on gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au
Join members of Oculi for a panel talk exploring the experience of being in a collective, providing a rare insight into the benefits and challenges Oculi photographers have experienced historically, and in the development and realisation of the ambitious Benalla Art Gallery exhibition ACTS I-VII.
As Oculi member Dean Sewell wrote, “While the role of the photographer on a whole has often been referred to as an ‘individualistic’ pursuit, it is somewhat of a myth. Sure, when out in the field, it can be lonely or isolating but it is often within the identity structure of a collective that its individuals seek counsel, share ideas and pull each other forward of great benefit to the group, the individual, and the broader landscape of Australian visual storytelling.”
The panel talk will be immediately followed by a celebration of the exhibition ACTS I-VII, providing an opportunity to meet Oculi photographers in a relaxed setting.
Acknowledgements
Oculi is a collective of 18 fine-art and documentary photographers. Since its inception in 2000, Oculi has been the leading influence in photographic documentary practice in Australia, offering a visual narrative of contemporary life in the region and beyond. ACTS I-VII is curated by Oculi members Aishah Kenton, Abigail Varney, Alana Holmberg, Tajette O’Halloran, and Rachel Mounsey in conversation with Natasha Christia.
Acts I-VII is an official exhibition of PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography, a major biennial of new photography and ideas taking place from 29 April to 22 May in Melbourne and regional Victoria. Responding to the theme ‘Being Human’, PHOTO 2022 explores the role photography plays in understanding the contemporary human condition. PHOTO 2022 is produced by Photo Australia in collaboration with cultural institutions, museums and galleries, and education, industry and government partners.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia. Supported by the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund, an Australian Government initiative.
Thanks to our sponsors. All works have been printed on ILFORD GALERIE Gold Fibre Gloss 310gsm.
