60 Views of
Melbourne
Gerry Angelos, Harry Baker, Celeste de Clario Davis, EFP, Chip Elliott, Jacqui Elizabeth, Gil Gilmour, Gavin la Grange, Milly Haig, Derek Nguyen, Jesse Pretorius, Scott Ransley, Andrew Tan, Luke Tipping, Santina Velo, Archie Vova, Ricardo Yamamoto, Frank Yuwono with prints by Cakeface & John Gollings from the gallery's stock room.
This exhibition was made possible with the assistance of
an Introduction
Melbourne was once one of the richest city’s in the world, but what is it now?
60 views of Melbourne is a love letter to the city that each of this exhibition’s participants have written to their city. Gavin la Grange work is the first presented and surrounds the title of the show marking out some of the geographical and the themes of the show. The landscape, people, place, the streets all feature in small snapshot sized monochrome images.
Luke Tipping three interiors are shot in yellow and red almost monochrome as well, yet these interiors have the feeling of the suffocation of a Melbourne summer heatwave of the mid to high 40sC, rather than the warmth of a beach holiday.
Next up Derek Nguyen captures the everyday, but darker, more sinister, more unknown, he has made a suburban tram uncomfortable. I find myself peering into the frame trying to find more detail to give me a clue in each of the three prints to put my mind at ease.
The next body of work takes my thinking from the subject to the beauty of the process and execution by Santina Velo. Two railway stations and a detail of the arts centre are presented in cyanotype. This process, that was discovered by the great John Herschel, renders images in cobalt blue. In just over a meter the exhibition has images that display the extremes of Melbourne climate.
These images are quiet and reflective of places that Melbournians in the area pass by regularly.
The next two images by Jacqui Elizabeth are views that we walk by and perhaps never notice. They reveal the build environment as textures and layers with nature finding a way to continue to be. These, like many images in the exhibition, are made using film, which adds to the layers of history represented in the images.
The pigeons of Jacqui’s image leads into the three colourful images featuring birds by Frank Yuwono. The first a group on a sign feels that there is some secret humour I’m missing. The second a macro photo of a rainbow lorikeet and the third the sort of image that the bird photographer fraternity seeks out. This group of photographers has grown with the advancement of focus technology. They have developed a community and distinct aesthetic, that is clean, precise and motion stopped.
From a violent bird image the show moves to three images of corporate types on the streets. These are unsettling images that show male ego in motion. Doing deals, making the case and changing our lives without us even knowing who is involved. These are the faces of the 'faceless men'.
These men are on the move and Harry Baker’s images seem to be from the hip moments before the moment is lost. This starts the exhibitions run of monochrome.
Perhaps Melbourne is a monochrome place unlike Sydney or Brisbane. Celeste de Clario Davis presents us with a studio images of a white horse.
The history and the significance of the piece is not referenced, nor why the image is made, yet it form and the light leaves the viewer mesmerised and seeking more. Is this not the magic of photography? An image has the power to play on our mind and we seek to understand.
The jump to the night in a live music venue by Milly Haig. Noted as a punk band, the four images treat us to another of photography’s abilities, to reduce an overwhelming experience of the sensors to a single sense of sight. The viewer adds the rest, if we have been to such a venue we are instantly transported back to the moshpit.
EFP presents us with photographs of paths in a park.
Are they photographs of recreation, days of picnics and family or of a underworld of queer desire’s meeting places? Again the viewer brings their history and baggage to the image. We the viewer impose our history on the scene presented before us. We assume our importance in interpreting the work. Do we care about the artist’s intent?
Leaving the park we are presented three monochrome portraits of Ukrainian refugees who are making lives in Melbourne. This is part of a larger body of work by Archie Vova. Being born of immigrants he is seeking connections to his family’s identity and solace in their shared history. These images draws on the history of environmental portraiture yet with their clean preciseness of detail they obviously contemporary.
The long wall ends and a single image by Gil Gilmour appears. This is the most difficult image to describe, yet it is the most intriguing. At first glance is feels more watercolour then photograph. Part portrait, part inkblot it challenges the viewer to reconsider media. Rather than reading this essay, I challenge you to stand before this image and look until you see. Where as some images are descriptive this is more about consideration and contemplation. At this point the exhibition pauses, for you to rejoin on the other side wall.
The first artist is Ricardo Yamamoto. Although his family name and heritage is Japanese, his culture is Brazilian. The work he represents here is of an outsider looking in working out what is going on. These three street scenes with their motion echo Baker’s earlier work, but these are every day people moving through the vertical lines of his photographs going about their day. Adding to the feel and artist’s confidence is that they are darkroom prints. He has spent hours making prints that impress.
Next are two works that the gallery has pulled form their stockroom, both recent purchases. John Gollings photos of Melbourne University Architecture school’s new building. Made to impress in a very commercial aesthetic, this is an image with the client’s needs front and center.
Cakeface’s image is the opposite of the Gollings. They have created a character that inhabits photography and performance art, who, though a humour of creating discomfort, critiques societal attitudes towards the female, in terms of expectations, stereotyping and being, in a graphic and emotive image.
Avedon defined a portrait as a photograph of someone who knows they are being photographed. Scott Ransley’s street portaits fit this definition. The subjects may not have had time to consider how they are being represented, but they are responding to the moment of capture. They remind me of HCB’s portraits, they are compelling because they have not over considered, they are about the instance, that moment. One feels, looking at them, we have been privy to something unguarded that only occurred because Scott was there.
I don’t think there is a greater change of pace in this show than that to Gerry Angelos. His two images deserve to be much bigger, as big as they can go without losing their flatness. Gerry finds the graphic of buildings. They are both graphic design, photography and work at any size. They are GRAPHIC! They could easily be screen prints or another form of art. Those of us with design backgrounds can not help but to admire how Gerry sees.
From the quietness of Gerry we head to the cyclists of Andrew Tan. These give the impression that the photographer chased them around the streets. These colour captures give this exhibition back the franticness that we experience here every day.
At this stage the curator is playing with us. The second last artist is Chip Elliott, with two exquisite darkroom prints of the banks of the Yarra River. They echo the earlier photographs by EFP, but do not feel similar. These are laid back. As a diptych they read as a photographer’s crop and the reality. Photographers like to remove ugliness out of their images. There is nothing ugly about these prints, they are examples of why Silver Gel will always have a place in photography. They are beautiful to behold.
The show ends with Jesse Pretorius’ work. They are brightly coloured scenes and moments are mostly overlooked in our day to day. After all the monochrome and controlled colour, these are outrageous, but if you are going to get noticed you need to be outrageous! The subjects are moments from the Jesse’ traveling through this city, he reminds us that this is a vibrant city of interesting characters.
This does not present a full and complete catalogue of styles and cultures of Melbourne. It does open the door to people and places we may not have considered while doing the cliques in a tangential way. This is an exhibition about the lived experience of Melbourne.
Gerry Angelos
Gerry Angelos is Melbourne based fine art photographer who’s been capturing urban landscapes for over 10 years.
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Architecture has become an essential part of our modern existence, especially in larger cities.
Elements in particular like colour,light and shapes reflect his passion for architectural photography, combining an architect’s love of geometry,patterns,textures and blending them into his own style of abstract and minimal compositions.
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He seeks to capture the eye and imagination of his audience through his lens with captivating and unique perspectives.
Celeste de Clario Davis
Celeste is a photographer and filmmaker based in Naarm (Melbourne). Her practice explores documentary, photographic archives and the complexities of lens-based documentation. Celeste has lived experience in public housing and is passionate about community filmmaking. Much of Celeste’s photography background has informed her video work: in 2017 Celeste had her second solo exhibition ‘HOMES’, a visual ode to public housing (supported by Yarra Council), — and has just completed working as the cinematographer and producer on feature-length documentary, Things Will Be Different, in collaboration with RMIT’s Centre for Global and Urban Studies, about displacement and Victoria’s Public Housing Renewal Program. Celeste co-founded APAX Creative Studios in 2021, a photography studio and multidisciplinary creative space in Preston where she currently practices photography.
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For decades this life-size wooden horse has been more garaged than stabled: packed tight with other relics, appearing and disappearing as the mass shifts. Before, it was a classified ad “for collection” in a local newspaper. Its life previous is as unknown as its future. By chronicling this sculpture, I preserve some part of it. A proxy, perhaps, but also proof that it was and is. Objects have two destinies: a museum (and then a most-times a dark warehouse), or the tip. Either way, the horse has been archived. In light.
EFP
As a queer individual standing over six feet tall, I have unfortunately experienced physical assaults on multiple occasions in Melbourne. One particularly harrowing incident involved five men attacking me after leaping from a car. These encounters have profoundly impacted my sense of safety in busy, urban environments. Consequently, I am drawn to exploring and capturing the essence of sparse, tranquil locations that offer a sense of refuge and security. My work primarily focuses on discovering and documenting these serene spots, which are often hidden gems situated just a short distance from the bustling city center. Within a mere twenty-minute bike ride or a five-minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD, one can find these tranquil sanctuaries that provide solace and a safe haven for the queer community. Despite their proximity to urban life, these locales exude the charm and seclusion of vast parklands, offering a stark contrast to the chaos of city streets. Through my photography, I aim to highlight these peaceful retreats, showcasing their natural beauty and the sense of safety they offer. My work serves as a reminder of the importance of safe spaces for the queer community and the therapeutic power of nature in fostering a sense of belonging and tranquility.
Chip Elliott
Chip Elliott is a photographer, painter and educator originally from California. He has been photographing since he was 15 years old when he attended a vocational photography program during high school in Colorado. He has taught film and darkroom classes in NYC, Portland and San Francisco and taught youth photography programs in developing countries including Nepal and East Timor. He has been working in photography and the darkroom for over 35 years. These photographs are from a project he is working on documenting the Yarra River that runs through the middle of Melbourne, Australia. The images were shot on medium format black and white film and printed on silver gelatine fiber based paper.
Jacqui Elizabeth
Jacqui Elizabeth is a photographer based in Naarm/Melbourne who studied Visual Arts at Charles Darwin University and photography at The Photography Institute. She started photographing in the early 90’s as a child on a film point and shoot and never quite managed to let go, working predominantly with 35mm film throughout her entire photographic career.
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Jacqui has had work show in numerous exhibitions across her hometown of Larrakia/Darwin and Melbourne including the Museum and Art Gallery of The Northern Territory (MAGNT) and the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh.)
Derek Nguyen
I could never quite pinpoint where my fascination with photography started. Nor did I understand my decision of moving half way across the world to a place that felt like a silent mosh pit of cultures and fighting ideas to no avail.
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Maybe it was the photobooks of my family growing up.
Maybe it was the work of Soviet photographers I saw growing up.
Maybe it was old American magazines my mum brought back from the States.
Maybe it was those photos of all the wars that happened to my people before I was born that I saw in the museums and history books.
Maybe it was the desperate wanting to reclaim moments of my life that I felt helpless against.
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All the maybes never helped, they were irritating thoughts. Where I’m from, it’s a luxury to own a camera, and even then, as a creative pursuit, it was never a viable option. Then I moved to Melbourne, my current home. It was never quite clear to me why I felt so alone, like Melbourne was giving me the cold shoulder regardless of my attempts at saying hello. I spent countless days and nights walking and napping on public transport. Slowly I realised, that I was never alone, that we’re all very tired, and that we’re all very lonely together. It’s a cathartic moment, held firmly by my annoyed curiosity, urging me to start learning. The process of making a photograph that carries a life of its own. The process of making our loneliness appear on these images, relevant, felt, and shared.
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My photographs of Melbourne are my perspectives, at arms length, disorganized observation of an outsider. This place, to me, is its people, its roads, its rails, its corners. Its undeniable loneliness resembles beauty within all moments of absolute tolerance, hopeful that things will be better. And it will.
Jesse Pretorius
ICONOCLAST examines the world through the theistic pedagogy of eschatology, a science of the apocalypse. Rather than a religious conviction, the work defines the end times as the end of reality through the scope of Jean Bauldrillard’s ‘Hyper-Reality’.
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Hyper-reality refers to the inability to separate real things from constructed things, or a confusion between them. A departure from an agreed-upon version of reality. The images within the series are treated as symbols to mark the end of reality, Simulacra of things we no longer understand.
Scott Ransley
Scott Ransley, born in 1983, grew up on the vibrant and historically rich Dharug country. His early years were shaped by the profound cultural heritage of his homeland, fostering a deep appreciation for storytelling and artistic expression. Before his journey into photography, Scott made a name for himself as a musician, with his work receiving national attention on platforms such as Triple J and Rage networks.
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Photography became another creative outlet for Ransley, a form of expressionism that complements his musical pursuits. Relocating to Melbourne in 2020, just before the global pandemic, marked a pivotal moment in his artistic journey, providing a fresh and dynamic backdrop for his exploration of urban life through the lens.
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Ransley’s work resonates with the evocative Rennie Ellis and Nan Goldin, while also echoing raw, unfiltered truths captured by Lisette Model and Diane Arbus. His approach is deeply rooted in the tradition of street photography, yet it carries a unique voice that speaks to the impermanence and serendipity of modern existence. Embracing the tactile and unpredictable nature of film, he eschews the convenience of digital photography. He deliberately seeks out various film stocks, both black and white and colour 35mm, each roll bringing its own set of possibilities and constraints. This method compels him to slow down, to immerse himself in the moment, capturing it with precision and intent.
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The imperfections inherent in film – the grain, the light leaks, and the occasional blur – are not mere technical flaws but integral elements of Ransley’s aesthetic. They add a layer of authenticity and depth to his work, celebrating the beauty found in the unplanned and the transient. Through his lens, he documents the ephemeral nature of urban life, creating a body of work that is both a poignant reflection of the present and a timeless narrative of the human condition.
Andrew Tan
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Through his photography, Andrew invites viewers to see familiar cityscapes with fresh eyes, transforming ordinary scenes into extraordinary visual compositions. His images tell compelling stories of urban life, blending technical skill with a distinctive artistic vision.
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“Zoom Cycling” transforms the traditional view of cyclists through intentional camera movement, elevating the visual experience into an expressive interpretation of motion.
By deliberately blurring images during exposure, this series captures the essence of movement rather than static moments.
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The human form, once defined, dissolves into dynamic streaks of light and colour. Bodies become fluid abstractions, their contours bleeding into the surrounding space. Light takes on a quality that bends and stretches with the cyclists’ movements, painting light trails across each frame.
This abstraction serves as a metaphor for the nature of human powered vehicles. As cyclists push their limits, they seem to shed physical constraints, becoming pure energy in motion. The resulting images hover between representation and abstraction, revealing the hidden poetry in the confluence of body, bicycle, and light.
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“Zoom Cycling” challenges our perception, inviting viewers to experience the fluid dance of form and motion.
Luke Tipping
Luke’s journey into the world of photography began on the other side of the lens as a model. His curiosity about the art of capturing moments led him to explore photography more deeply, seeking to understand both perspectives of the camera. This curiosity quickly turned into a passion, and Luke found himself more drawn to the art of photography than modeling.
Diving headfirst into photographic mediums less traveled, Luke discovered a fascination with redscale, lenticular printing, and infrared photography. These unique techniques allowed him to create images that stand out, reflecting his innovative spirit and desire to push the boundaries of traditional photography.
Luke’s debut exhibition, “ITS THREE DEE,” was a testament to his creative vision. By combining motion picture film with lenticular printing, he crafted immersive pieces that required viewers to move around them to fully experience the artwork. This dynamic interaction brought a new dimension to the viewing experience, highlighting Luke’s talent for creating engaging and thought-provoking art.
Based in Melbourne, Luke continues to explore and experiment with photography, always seeking new ways to capture and share the world as he sees it.
Santina Velo
Shooting analogue photography and making my own silver gelatin prints is a great passion of mine. I shoot 35mm and 120mm film formats. I have my own darkroom. I experiment with and explore the 1840’s photographic alternative printing process of ‘Cyanotypes’ and apply it to my own analogue images.
The cyanotype process uses a mixture of iron compounds, which when exposed to UV light & washed in water oxidise to create Prussian Blue images. I love the range of blue colours, that can be created with this process and the nostalgic look and feeling that it gives to my images. I reprint my analogue images as Cyanotype contact prints by making ‘digital negatives’ from the scans of the 35mm and 120mm negatives, place them onto cold pressed watercolour paper that I have coated with a Cyanotype chemical mix, then expose this out in the sun for the UV rays to cause a chemical reaction, then wash the prints and let them dry. Each Cyanotype print that I make is unique and a one of a kind reprint of its original image.
These three 35mm images were all taken in 2021, as part of a Project 365, shooting with a Minolta SLR 303b, a 50 mm lens and HP5 Plus film. I photographed an image daily for the whole year. I have also documented my personal story and family history through photographing various locations in the CBD, Brunswick and Coburg. These three images are trigger points for my early experiences and memories. Specifically playing around these train stations, visiting the city and being intrigued by the shapes that I could see in my environment around me growing up.
I’m a Melbourne Camera Club member and actively involved with the Analogue Photography interest group. I have exhibited annually with the MCC since 2017 in their APG, IWD and Senior Exhibitions. Also, I have exhibited in group exhibitions with the following: 2019 Noir Darkroom, 2020 CCP Salon, 2020 Mossman Awards, 2022 Focal Point darkroom and Gallery, 2022 Photo Access, 2023 Hillvale and the 2022 and 2023 Somers Art Fair.
Archie Vova
‘Finding Home’ sets out to document the experiences of Ukrainians in Melbourne, who have chosen to leave their home country in hopes of finding a better and safer life overseas, or being pushed from their country due to war, as many now have.
During the shooting of this project I have set out to find out what has brought Ukrainians to immigrate to Melbourne, including Ukrainians from various generations as we have often migrated in waves after a mass world event i.e. World War 2, Fall of Soviet Union, Most current war - the unjust invasion on Ukraine by russia.
This series looks deeper at the individual rather than the community as a whole, and their experiences when it comes to things such as adapting to a new life, dealing with post traumatic stress disorder and lingering effects and emotions of leaving in whatever way they were made or chose to migrate, the challenges they face, their journey away from home and into Melbourne, and their connection to the current war as well as past events that have been known to internationally displace Ukrainians.
The aim is to capture these individuals and families character and story, as well as providing a glimpse into their daily lives and how their experiences of moving has had an impact in their lives, from becoming more isolated and lonely, to flourishing and creating a strong family and group of friends after immigrating to Melbourne.
Ricardo Yamamoto
I had a strange dream. I was walking through a city of gold, sheltered from most deprivations of the world, with glittering towers beneath a clear blue sky, and through houses of opulence brimming with all the treasures one could ever desire. Along its boulevards, I saw marvellous machines and flawless beings who seemed to lack nothing. But they all looked in a rush, in a frantic quest for something…
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Ricardo Yamamoto is a Japanese-Brazilian photographer, centering his work on the social dynamics in the changing world around him.
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Having spent a decade documenting the lives of fellow immigrants during his time in Japan, he relocated to Melbourne in 2015 and became fascinated with how dominant notions of success perpetuate a sense of gold rush in one of the wealthiest societies to ever exist.
The works on display are the inaugural pieces of a new series that aim to explore the rumbling social anxieties that underlie our daily routines through images of bustling Melbourne streets.
Frank Yuwono
Frank was born in Indonesia a long time ago.
He studied Biology in the US, with special interests in ornithology, herpetology and marine biology. Frank became interested in photography early in life using his dad’s cameras. Combining his interest in animals and photography is his passion. Thus his passion for small and far away as resulted in photographs of reptiles, insects and birds, some times in combination.
Cakeface
In their own words:
Cakeface is how I express myself, my protective blanket and she fills my cup. Anything you see in her is right, she’s meant to make you feel uncomfortable or make you chuckle. I err on the side of secrecy with her because I don’t want people to see beyond her and into my own life too much.
I find reality an uncomfortable place, so I use Cakeface to twist and explore realities different from my own, then shove them down the audience’s eyeballs. Sometimes it’s the least confronting works that bring up the most conversation. A friend said that his new girlfriend was blown away by the work while he, AND I QUOTE “was scared shitless.” I feel that way all the time, so I do feel powerful, knowing I can frighten men from a photograph.
John Gollings
In his own words:
Along the way I was mentored by a clutch of remarkable photographers; Ezra Stoller, Ansel Adams, Wolfgang Sievers, Mark Strizic, David Moore and Max Dupain.
Meanwhile I had discovered dead cities and started my own projects in New Guinea, India, Cambodia, Western China, Indonesia, Turkey and Libya. This urban documentation has become an obsession with return visits annually to various sites. None of it has had much exposure, as it’s been hard to find a publisher. In some ways I’m better known in India where whole museums have been built to house my work on the Vijayanagara Empire.
With the growing realization that an old fashion photo has no immediate value I started to concentrate on architecture photography exclusively from the 80’s on. I’m extremely proud of an archive of significant buildings right across South East Asia; all of it digitized and stored on a massive server with millions of images.