“There is no ‘real’ Australia waiting to be uncovered. A national identity is an invention.” – Richard White (1981) Inventing Australia
Australians promises to take you on a trip through a modern-day Australia far removed from the colour brochure. It will weave an unflinching visual narrative to lead the reader through the streets and back-blocks of our capital cities and rural centres.
Come swimming with Pacific Islanders beneath Altona Pier in Melbourne’s industrial western suburbs. Squat in a Perth doorway with Craig, who sleeps rough right now, while he smokes a bong made from a Ribena bottle. This is not merely a record of the physical landscape but of an emotional one; stories of humanity and frailty amidst the relentless thrust forward into a more frenetic, wealthier future. Our heroes are ordinary people, unposed and going about their daily lives.
Australians asks the viewer to consider what it means to live in Donald Horne’s ‘Lucky Country’ in the twenty-first century.
This exhibition is supported by
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Work up close with two of Australia’s pre-eminent photographers, explore regional Australia from a unique viewpoint, meet new people and develop your photographic practice!