28 August to 12 October 2026
Creatives x Creatives
Work by;
Andrew Tan / Arnold Newman /Cara Mand / Craig Watson /Catherine Black / David Pattinson /David Tatnall / Derek Nguyễn / garrie maguire / Henri Cartier Bresson / Isabel Armstrong / Jackson Low / Jair Garcia / Jeffrey Henson Scales / Lewis Morley / Eureka O’Hanlon / Nadar / Natalie Finney / Norman Seeff / Roger Hyland / Rosalind Pach / Sionainne Costello / William Yang / Wolfgang Sievers
There are recurring themes/tropes in photography, making photographs of other creatives is one. This exhibition will place historic work alongside photographs made locally. Each photographer represented by two of their images.
The exhibition contains work by established heroes of the medium, to new entrants with fresh perspectives.
Essay by Dr Lisa Anderson
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people." Annie Leibovitz "I like to photograph artists in their studios. They tend to gather around them bits of paraphernalia and the tools they need for their creation. The studios are like nests in which the work can incubate." William Yang I am constantly intrigued by the images in photographs, films and many other media of other creatives, looking into them to try and ascertain what is going on in the image in the ideas written in the expressions. As a young artist I spuriously blamed Picasso for my smoking as every image seemed to have him with cigarettes in his mouth and burning in the full ashtrays, and Matisse for expecting my queer studio to be full of naked women on couches…the odalisque. I have been painted and photographed often as an artist and so have personally considered the wealth of knowledge, skill and love in the selected images that both leads and answers many questions of artist-to-artist exchanges. What I am considering in this selection of an exchange of the ability of one artist to be a translator of and for another by creating their portrait. This dances across ideas of personal impact and understanding being presented to a viewer. These types of images become more important not simply because they record a person but because they have the ability to give us two for one deal, an understanding of both the photographer and the subject wrapped up in a moment in time often promised in the photographic image. The artists selected here as both maker of the images and those who are the subject are diverse some touch on collaborative while others use backdrops and lighting and manipulation of more formal studio portraits and others take on a kind of street look. It feels like none of these images are ‘shots’ they are not ‘taken’ they speak of something given between the artists and creatives. These images are a window into the personal…perhaps the opinionated personal. Many of the images like those of Cara Mund, Rogar Hyland, Wolfgang Sievers, Andrew Tan and Cartier-Bresson who all worked around specific concepts returning again and again to ideas and settings that allowed them to illuminate their own thinking and using the subjects and part of their private yet now shared thinking in the images. Mund seems to work around ideas of motherhood in much of her work looking closely at ideas of belonging searching for the similarity of the familial subjects while Sievers often worked looking at the machine in a time when machines, like Ai uptakes now, were shifting our relationship to personal, skill, work, and economy. Cartier-Bresson was concerned with the everyday demands of the human condition, using light and drama in quiet and intimate ways and in this show they sit beside the high drama and staging of Cecil Beatons work, both artists worked during much of the same time frames while Beatons work uses every decorative prop and gesture as grandly staged for his, and our pleasure. All of these images are ‘insider’ images in that each one brings together a shared experience of art and image making. These are creatives working with creatives, people once and still often viewed as ‘outsiders’ are being depicted here by and probably for an ‘outsider community’ if such a paradox can exist. As William Yang notes in his talks his interest is in the environment and the person, the rare ability to make work where he has permission to create an image in the studios and private spaces. These tell us more about both Artists, both views collide and collude giving us one view to contemplate. These ideas of the place of the image of the artists own studio, the photographic studio the insider places from parties to bedrooms brings us to Susan Sontag’s notions of exclusion through framing. Something that openly exists in all artmaking yet has been particularly singled out by photographic critics to discount an authenticity of the moment and splaying the images as more related to propaganda than artwork. These images in this show are designed to let in the viewer to a personal secret. The relationship of trust between the subject and the image maker based on the shared position as creatives. This personal understanding is in many of the images noting several images here are not curtailed by that but rather are elegant images commissioned for promotional work. This show brings together the transactional and the personal ambitions of both subject and maker by asking the viewer to look close and decide for themselves. The personal image is often shown now across every share platform across the globe from tiktok to FB. One needs to ask are the personal stories and compositions everyone takes on their phones a part of this world of creatives? Several creatives in this show are listed here as self-taught, as are most people with an iphone snapping images and editing them immediately. Does this prevalence for the private becoming public shift what is being offered here as professional image making meant for a gallery audience rather than one’s friends online. Can many people have the understanding or knowledge to explore and understand the difference between the professional and the casual untrained images made beautiful by filters and editing applied with the touch of a button as Ai processed images of the everyday user? Does this flooding our world with slick online images shift the role of professional creative photographers? These personal inspired images of Creative x Creative as a great example of the contemporary challenge to the artwork, and therefore livelihood of the photographer. Contemplating the historically recent shifts to understand photography as a medium of art practice and having been considered and collected as such for some decades now…does this ease of Ai touch screen creativity overturn the ideas of visual literacy and professional choices in the personal engagement made public? I understand the everyday image as something usually different to the intentional artwork show here. This is the most photographed generation to date but does this help our digital and visual literacy or dumb down the final products? I am inclined to believe there is a great difference between the choices and dedicated understanding offered in these images and the snaps of the everyday Instagramer with total reliance on the Ai narrow selection of choices rather than human choice and knowledge. As personal portraits of other creatives it makes these works more special as the presence they display commands our attention to consider, to want to understand and to look so the meaning once more becomes important in the dialogue of making and watching and understanding photographic images.
Andrew Tan
An award-winning, self-taught urban photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. His practice explores the hidden geometry and emotional texture of city life, using slow shutter speeds and deliberate motion to dissolve the ordinary into something felt rather than seen. He is the 2025 Photographer of the Year (Black & White) awarded by Australian Photography Magazine, and his work has been exhibited internationally across three continents and held in private collections. Kate Gabb A Naarm/Melbourne based artist. She is currently in her final year of her Masters of Contemporary Art at Victoria Collage of the Arts, Melbourne University. She holds a Master of Art Therapy, La Trobe University and a BA (Fine Arts), Monash University. Kate’s field of practice is situated within the field of textile, soft sculpture, and installation work. Her current art practice investigates found objects, domestic and everyday objects. Kate has exhibited in over 25 group shows during the last decade, recently Material Ecologies at Parallel Projects with 3 artists from her VCA cohort. The show examined responses to the environmental break down occurring due to overuse of natural resources and globalisation. Kate’s work is held in the Monash University art collection and in private collections in Australia and New Zealand. Ed Thomson Edwina/Ed’s practice explores contemporary landscape through drawing, painting and spatial installation. Working across various scales, surfaces and responsive materials, Ed explores memory and movement. Located between Sri Lanka and Australia, Ed’s work seeks to capture a feeling rather than a location. The act of drawing opens a liminal space between focused awareness and a more fluid internal state. This creates a threshold between land and water, consciousness and dreaming, where states shift and are fluid rather than fixed. It is through this process that body, landscape, memory and the material intersect. In 2026, Ed will complete a Masters of Contemporary Art at VCA, University of Melbourne. She will participate in four group shows - Parallel Projects, Monsalvat and two at the VCA Artspace. In June she was resident artist at Venezia Contemporanea with a solo show Laguna. In April 2025, she presented Sentinels, a solo exhibition at Barefoot Gallery, Colombo where she explored significant trees of Sri Lanka.
Arnold Newman
We are proud to be exhibiting one of the images from the Aftermath project. Robert Lindsay wrote of the full exhibition; The fires were mainly centred around Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong, Strathewen and Flowerdale — towns and regions that were all but completely destroyed. Gollings did not wish to record the personal tragedies, or the destruction to homes and buildings, but to reflect on the power of nature through photographing the landscape in the aftermath of the fire, a stark and vivid landscape baring its anatomy, as we have never seen before. Whilst formal concerns such as focus and composition for him lie at the foundation of photography, the real power of the medium lies in the frozen moment. A moment that can be cropped, manipulated, intensified, but a real moment arrested from the ever-changing dynamic of life. In terms of technical ability he is a ‘virtuoso’ who works with energy, rapidity and instinctive vision to capture the right composition. As a technical perfectionist he also appreciates that the Aftermath series reveals a ‘looseness’, which is a result of his hand–held camera vibrating slightly from the movement of the helicopter. Significantly this embeds the works with a personal signature beyond the mechanical processes. As an exhibition of resonant and poetic landscape photographs, it reminds us of the power of nature, for though man is not the subject of the series, humanity and our role within the universe is ever-present. In these works John Gollings thus presents a humanist sensibility within the formal processes of photography.
Catherine Black
Cat is a Northside based Melbourne / Narrm portrait photographer and creative director. Her practice centres on honest, human-led imagery and she is regularly commissioned by production companies and agencies to create authentic visual narratives for local and international campaigns. She has photographed a range of well-known Australian figures and collaborated with an extensive list of brands including Fender, Yamaha, Peroni, Medibank and Heinz. Alongside commercial commissions, she maintains an active personal practice, working out of District Darkroom in Coburg North. Her work was selected as finalists for both The Martin Kantor Prize and The Percivals. Sean Kirkwood & Alex McLaren This personal photo, named ‘The love of a DOP and his first assist’ was taken as a behind the scenes while commissioned to create a You Tube series for a client. Both Sean and Alex are prolific in Melbourne, as established visionaries. They are continually creating work which is featured in film, television, fashion, music videos and creative animation. Nitida Atkinson ‘This is a photo to celebrate women by women, filled with pride and resilience. We are fired up to demand better, embracing others for who they are, unafraid of judgement and patriarchy, supporting and inspired by those who do the same. Featuring Nitida, who is an exciting Melbourne singer who grew up in the south coast of NSW via the dusty western districts of Victoria. She trained in Melbourne at the VCA in contemporary vocals, at the same time developing her presence in the city’s famous music scene as a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and magnetic performer across Australia alongside some of its most recognised artists.’
Cara Mand
Cara Mand is an analogue photographer living and creating on Boonwurrung land (Melbourne), Australia. Mother to two, her work emerges from the transformative experience of motherhood and the tension between fragility and tenacity. Exploring themes of tenderness, grief and memory, she draws on a background in bioethics to examine how we inhabit our bodies, relate to one another, and navigate periods of change. Using a quiet and intuitive visual language, her photographs invite reflection on intimacy, loss, connection, and becoming. The Mother Artist Two mothers. Two artists. Julia Rose van Haren and Tash Clark-Monks, photographed during a film retreat run by Melbourne artist Sarah Black in March 2025. This portrait speaks to the quiet, powerful connections that form when creatives come together; the recognition, exchange and understanding that emerge between us as artists, as women, as mothers. We see each other, shape each other, and make space for one another to create. Creative bonds A self-portrait (me on the far right) with women who have inspired and shaped my creative journey: Elle Ratten, Alexandra Davis and EJ Hassan. Three remarkable photographers. We met online as strangers during the tail end of the pandemic, each of us searching for creative connection. What began through a screen grew into friendship, collaboration, community and a deep sense of belonging. This moment, frozen in time forever, is rendered more poignant still as one of its subjects is no longer with us in the real world, living on in our photos and our hearts. It is a reminder that the people with whom we create remain part of the creative lives we carry forward.
Craig Watson
Watto studied photography at RMIT in the late 1980, which led to a job at Leader Papers in Blackburn. This in turn led to job in the darkroom at the Herald & Weekly Times and, in 1990, to a role as photographer on the Weekly Times newspaper. He left the Weekly Times in August 1996 and worked freelance, mostly shooting motorsport and classic cars for magazines, as well as shooting events and some product photography. From 2004 to 2017 Watto ran his motoring magazine, specialising in British cars, before beginning Focal Point Darkroom & Gallery in North Geelong in 2019. Despite good beginnings, the business was smashed by the COVID pandemic and never recovered, closing in October 2023. Following some personal life-changing events, and twelve months of mental and physical recovery, Watto re-evaluated his life and career and has gone back to photography for the love of it. His latest project features multiple-exposures, with up to 10 exposures per image, shot entirely in-camera on large-format film. His images in this exhibition pay tribute to two of his favourite musical artists, Neil Diamond and Roy Orbison, paying homage to his love of black-and-white film photography, and his rejection of AI and computer manipulated images. In Dreams, Roy Orbison (1983) Roy Orbison appears to be surrounded in mist while singing “In Dreams” during his concert at Festival Hall, Melbourne, in March 1983. Born in 1936, Roy Orbison began performing at the age of eight, with his own radio show when he was nine. He formed a band and began writing his own songs, mostly country and western, at 13 and had a minor success at 20 in 1956 with Ooby Dooby for Sun Studio. After years of ups and downs, recording songs that failed to chart and touring with varied success, he suddenly hit the big time in 1960 with songs Only The Lonely (#2) and Blue Angel (#9). These were followed by Running Scared (#1), Crying and Candy Man (all 1961), In Dreams and Blue Bayou (1963) and Oh, Pretty Woman (#1, 1964). Following the death of his wife in 1966 and two of his sons in 1968, Orbison struggled to find success and meaning in his music throughout the 1970s. In the early 1980s, thanks in part to an overall resurgence of interest in 1950s and ‘60s music, Orbison began touring again, receiving wide acclaim and large audiences. In 1987 he was admitted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame, and also formed The Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. Orbison died from a heart attack on 6 December 1988 and his final solo single, You Got It, posthumously reached #9 in the US. Good Lord, Neil Diamond (1992) Neil Diamond gives a signature move on stage at the National Tennis Centre, Flinders Park, Melbourne, during his Love In The Round tour, 27 April 1992. Born in 1941, Neil Diamond grew up in Brooklyn, NYC, and began songwriting in he teens. After struggling as a songwriter and some-time recording artist for nearly a decade, he had his first real successes with songs performed by The Monkees (1966) and his first hits under his own recordings in 1969, followed by his first Number 1 hits Cracklin’ Rosie (1970) and Song Sung Blue (1972). He has sold more than 56.5 million records in the US alone, making him one of the most successful recording artists in history. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 and he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
David Tatnall
David Tatnall is an Australian fine art photographer. His work has been collected by the National Gallery of Victoria, State Library of Victoria, Museum of Australian Photography, City of Melbourne, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Australian Embassy, Washington USA and Australian Consul-General Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He taught large format, pinhole and darkroom workshops for thirty-five years in Australia and overseas. His work has been exhibited and published widely. He is editor of View Camera Australia. He was Artist in Residence at the State Government’s School for Student Leadership’s remote campuses for twenty years where he taught film photography to 6000 students. In 2020 he was given a lifetime achievement award by Parks Victoria for ‘An outstanding contribution to nature conservation in Victoria through photography’. The photographs in this exhibition are from the ongoing series The Photographers. Victoria Bilogan Victoria Bilogan with 4x5 monorail camera, Greenvale. Victoria is a multi-disciplined artist originally from Ukraine now living in Melbourne. Ilona Schneider Ilona Schneider with 4x5 monorail camera, Melbourne. Ilona is a master photographer originally from Austria now living in Hobart where she runs Top Space Studio.
Sam Lambert is a fashion Creative Director, and one of the principals of the collective Art Comes First. I met Sam and Shaka in London in 2009, and worked with them for over 10 years as part of Art Comes First. This image was made in London in 2016, as part of a shoot art-directed by Sam and Shaka in response to the events that shaped the Black Lives Matter movement. Saida Augustine is a visual artist working in textiles, born in Madagascar and working between there and Paris. I photographed Saida on several occasions in Paris between 2015 and 2019, on this occasion in 2018 she is wearing an antique 18c florentine lace blouse I had sourced from Ceri Vintage in Florence. Both subjects, like most of my subjects - are people I know and have spent time with over the years.
garrie maguire
A Melbourne-based photographer known for his exploration of masculinity and identity through photography. His work often challenges traditional notions of gender and desire, as seen in his exhibitions, like Male//Chair, which was presented at the Victorian Pride Centre. Maguire’s photography serves as a medium for self-exploration and social commentary, particularly regarding the queer experience. His series Indefinite Immigration Detention documents his 499-day detainment in the Philippines, blending staged and candid images with personal reflections. Through his unique perspective and diverse body of work, Maguire contributes significantly to contemporary photography, fostering discussions around masculinity, identity, and the power of visual storytelling. (ChatGTP) Pierre et Gilles A French artistic duo of Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard, have significantly influenced contemporary art since their collaboration began in 1976. Known for their unique fusion of photography and painting, they create vibrant, dreamlike images that blend elements of pop culture, mythology, and religious iconography. Their work often features themes of beauty, sexuality, and identity, making them icons within the LGBTQ+ community. By portraying a diverse range of subjects, from celebrities to everyday people, they challenge societal norms and celebrate individuality. Their art has not only shaped fashion and advertising but also sparked discussions on representation and the intersection of art and culture, solidifying their place in the history of modern art. Arnold Newman Arnold Newman pioneered the environmental portrait, a style that situates subjects within settings tied to their work or identity, profoundly shaping 20th-century portrait photography. His meticulous compositions distilled the essence of figures like Igor Stravinsky, John F. Kennedy, and Langston Hughes, blending artistry with narrative depth. Newman’s magazine commissions for Harper’s Bazaar, Life, and Holiday expanded his influence, while books such as One Mind’s Eye and The Great British cemented his legacy. Exhibitions like “Building Icons” and retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art highlighted his role in redefining photographic portraiture. Recognized as one of the most influential photographers of his era, Newman’s work remains a benchmark for capturing character through context.
Derek Nguyen
Vocalist Talent, Ambition and Passion. The vocalist bounces off genres and stages. I made a series of photographs of him doing kickflips off the roof of a car, in his bed, on the street, yet I’ve picked this photograph to show you. In all the years I’ve rubbed shoulders with musicians, I don’t think I’ve come across many like the vocalist. There have been many, but none with this amount of dedication to his art. I never lived in the 70s and 80s, but if I was to imagine, being around the vocalist takes you pretty damn close to being among the best rockstars the world has to offer. His ability to materialise space for his music then takes you in (sometimes you don’t even have a choice; the music just starts) for a ride. It truly is something marvellous to observe up close. People rarely like this generalisation, but vocalists can be a little strange sometimes and selfish. This one meets all those criteria. He’s strange about his sound, and selfish about not compromising on his work—something I get to learn from him along the way. This photograph wasn’t even made on a stage; it was made in a rehearsal room that had a family of rats running across the floor, absolutely mortified at being stepped on. This is the Vocalist. Painter/Modular Synth Player I met the painter some years ago at a burger shop. Then I met the synth player not long ago in my backyard. I don’t quite remember how it all went, but some years down the road we became friends. The other day, he was just in my backyard, looking French and talking about mathematics. The painter is a creative human being, but he doesn’t identify with any real label. The synth player used to play his Eurorack in packed warehouses—or randomly break out the blues on his $30 op shop guitar mid conversation. And now, in exchange for guitar lessons, I’m tutoring him in math outside a cafe next to a market. I do not intend to learn guitar, I just want to teach an artist math. The wall that appeared in the photograph was his dwelling for a time, and it looked like a lair for a crazy artist (or a number of them). This photograph was made some time ago; like how we met, completely by chance. I wasn’t even supposed to come down that day. I don’t know what to say more to the person in the photograph, because we all sort of agreed that this perfectly captured the essence of this fascinating human: rich in breadth of creativity, elusive, yet aloof. He doesn’t hide from the world because he’s scared of it. I think he’s scared of what ugliness he might bring to it. If you come and see this, friend, I think the world needs to see you in your brilliance.
Henri Cartier Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) was a pivotal figure in photography, renowned for his mastery of candid photography and the concept of the “decisive moment,” which emphasizes capturing fleeting moments that reveal deeper truths about life. As a founding member of Magnum Photos, he influenced generations of photographers with his unique approach, blending art and journalism. His work often focused on social issues and the human condition, showcasing the beauty in everyday life. Cartier-Bresson’s innovative use of 35mm film and his ability to convey emotion through composition transformed photography into a respected art form. His legacy continues to inspire photographers worldwide, making him a cornerstone of modern visual storytelling. His vision and techniques remain influential in contemporary photography. Jean Renoir A French filmmaker, actor, producer and author. His La Grande Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greatest films ever made. In 2002, he was ranked fourth on the BFI’s Sight & Sound poll of the greatest directors. Among numerous honours accrued during his lifetime, he received a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award in 1975. Renoir was the son of the painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and the uncle of the cinematographer Claude Renoir. Pauline Kael wrote that “At his greatest, Jean Renoir expresses the beauty in our common humanity—the desires and hopes, the absurdities and follies, that we all, to one degree or another, share.”Per The New York Times: “The style that ran through Mr. Renoir’s films — a mixture of tenderness, irony and Gallic insouciance was caught in a famous line from his 1939 masterpiece, The Rules of the Game. It was spoken by Octave, played by the director himself: ‘You see, in this world, there is one awful thing, and that is that everyone has his reasons.’” Julien Gracq a French writer. He wrote novels, critiques, a play, and poetry. His literary works were noted for their dreamlike abstraction, elegant style and refined vocabulary. He was close to the surrealist movement, in particular its leader André Breton.
Isabel Armstrong
Isabel Armstrong is an artist at the VCA working primarily across video and photographic mediums. Her work is a collection of people, places, objects and moments encapsulating weird, funny and intimate experiences; often originating as documentary, then manipulated through practice and installation. Moving between the personal and the performative, she is drawn to moments that feel fleeting, strange or quietly charged. The subjects of her works loosely draw from nightlife, awkward bodies and are often contrasted with an underlying mundanity. Lætitia Sadier The lead vocalist of British-French, avant-pop band Stereolab. I had the opportunity to photograph her at the group’s recent concert at the Forum, Melbourne. Sadier often explicitly describes her music as anti-war, concerned with peace and love, and the mind and body. When I first discovered the band’s music, the political messaging mostly went over my head. This was likely in part, due to the ignorance of my youth at the time, and many of the songs are in French (a language I don’t speak) but also because the lyrics seem to bounce around and land more softly - rejecting a certain dogmatic correspondence which hinders much protest music. My favourite song of Stereolab’s is Lo Boob Oscillator, which I’ve always enjoyed for its distinct chugging rhythm and gentle French pop sound; my appreciation of it exploded one afternoon in a high school Psychology class when my friend Malia - whose native language is French - took one of my wired earbuds to her ear and translated the lyrics for me.artists themselves). Miro Davis My peer at VCA, she has assisted me across multiple shoots and is an incredible natural at posing for photos. Her practice focuses on building impressionistic atmospheres through sculpture, which she approaches as a form of world-building. Her grotesque, bodily and hybrid mechanical forms create strange alternate realities that explore the relationship between the human, animal and machine. She aims for her work to feel both free and liberating, yet violent and dangerous, drawing attention to the fragility of the body. Her current work is particularly inspired by mechanical bull rides and the violent interactions between bodies and machines, such as car crashes. Through these forms, she explores the vulnerability of the human body when confronted with forces beyond its control.
Wolfgang Sievers
A significant figure in Australian photography, known for his architectural and industrial photography that captured the essence of modernity and the relationship between man and machine. his crareer started in Germany and with rise of the National Socialists, migrated to Australia in 1838. New Visions in Photography a joint exhibition with fellow German migrant, Helmont Newton in May 1953 was Australia’s introduction to German modernism of the Bauhaus, which built on prewar modernism that Max Dupain is associated with. He became Australia’s for most industrial photographer. Jewellery Worker, Pforzheim Germany 1937 His name is not recorded. It is an early example of Siever’s work. Made in an age where craftsmanship is a high priority. Chalice Craftsman, Albion Metalware, Melbourne, 1946 In industrial photography, portraits are not about the person but about the skills that the factory has to offer customer. Thus records of who is in photographs is lost to history. Yet this the craftsmanship and detail of the object made excels expectations of our own age. Human creativity and particularly skills have moved to computers and machines.
Jackson Low
Jackson Low is a Melbourne-based image maker working across multiple genres of photography. His practice combines studio processes, infrared photography, film, AI-assisted methods and experimental approaches to explore shifting relationships between the internet, identity, technology, abstraction and time. Low’s work examines how digital culture reshapes perception of physical space, often positioning familiar environments at the edge of the real and the virtual. Cris Gamble A Melbourne-based artist that blends Hip Hop and Reggaeton with bilingual English and Spanish lyricism, drawing from the city’s underground culture and Latin roots. Alongside his music, he is the founder of Plague, an independent streetwear brand built around Melbourne’s raw creative landscape, music, art and street culture. His work exists at the intersection of music, fashion and underground culture. Stella Hannagan A 21-year-old singer-songwriter, musician, budding self-producer, and writer from the Central Coast, NSW. Having released her debut EP ‘Home’ in October 2025, she describes her music as ethereal indie / alternative with electronic influences, coupled with soul-crushingly honest lyricism. Alongside accompanying herself on both guitar and piano for gigs around Melbourne, she is studying a Bachelor of Arts at Melbourne University: majoring in Creative Writing, and minoring in English. Songwriting has been in her bones for as long as she can remember, and living in the music capital of Australia is a true realisation of this. Her artistry has continued to flourish since moving here, and she aims to continue connecting with likeminded creatives, establishing herself in the Melbourne music scene, and beyond.
Jair Garcia
An analogue photographer and printmaker working with alternative photographic processes using silver, colloids, dichromates and pigments to print in different media including paper, glass and metal. He began his photographic journey in Colombia, where he learned darkroom techniques and was introduced to alternative photographic processes. He later explored photojournalism in Havana, Cuba, before focusing on portraiture, the human figure and botanical subjects. He came to Australia to pursue postgraduate studies in Scientific Photography and Applied Physics. Since 2020, his printmaking practice has focused on alternative photographic methods, supported by training with Ellie Young from 2020 to 2025. His work has been presented in group and solo exhibitions in Australia between 2023 and 2025. He has also received recognition from The Black & White magazine in the United States, winning awards in the Pinhole/Plastic Camera category in 2015 and the Alternative Processes category in 2022. Elsa Thorp holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Auckland. Upon completion (2004) and moving to Berlin she found an interest in black & white analogue photography of nature. Based in Berlin for 7 years exhibiting around Europe and New Zealand, relocating to Melbourne in 2016. For 20+ years her life/art practice is the sharing of connection to nature through photography, botanical sculpture, collaborations with photographers situating her body in landscapes, life modeling and nature art workshops. She immerses herself in botanical materials in a creative process that blurs the distinction between the forms of the plants and the work of the artist. The hunt for unusual materials gives her sculptural work a temporal quality, as its ultimate configuration cannot be known until the very last minute. Thorp has participated as artist in residence in France (2024), Greece (2024), Fitzroy Gardens (2021) and Berlin, (2012) crafting sculptures with naturally dried and fresh seasonal materials. To be what I am made of by Georgia Anne Borg. My feet have scars as if I’ve walked through cut glass. Valleys and trenches have felt my weight As each step restores my faith. In times of need, I learnt to bleed, To purge and express emotions as they are birthed through me. All the intricacies of life are a gift we must learn to receive, witness and set free. Each pathway walked alone has earnt me my throne. I continue to grow and through the valleys I learn to sew what I know. What I have always known. It is up to me to now believe what I have been shown, My scars tell the stories. As I look into my own eyes, I recite. They are listening now, I must truly believe I am another earth worker at the service of the divine. All the stories written beneath my feet are there for me to remember this every time. Or I may need to repeat the demons I have yet to see, yet love so deep. An earth worker gifted trenches by mother and god, To show me what I am made of. Dust and stone, feathers and soothing sweet tones. I am a warrior with the light of a feather. A touch so tender Yet like stone carved by grit itself. My name; Georgia Meaning ‘Earth Worker’ Anne means ‘to be given the grace of god’ And my last name; Borg ‘To be made of stone and to protect and be protected by sturdy castles and forts of lime stone’ Soft to touch, a gift to exist, and built to last
Jeffrey Henson Scales
Jeffrey Henson Scales’s impact is dual-faceted, significant in both the creation and the curation of photographic history. His early photographs provide an indispensable, human-scale record of the Black Panther Party and 1970s Black America, offering perspective and depth that has enriched historical understanding and influenced subsequent visual artists. He spent the 1970s and 80s making portraits for various magazines of notable people. As an editor at The New York Times and ESPN, he has shaped the visual language of major American media outlets, affecting how millions of readers perceive news, culture, and sports. His editorial legacy includes advancing the careers of countless photographers and persistently advocating for visual narratives that reflect a diverse society. His legacy is that of a bridge-builder between art and journalism, and between past and present. By bringing his historic work to light in new contexts while influencing contemporary visual journalism, Scales ensures that powerful photography continues to challenge, inform, and inspire. Ronee Blakley She is perhaps best known for her role as the fictional country superstar Barbara Jean in Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975), for which she won a National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for an Academy Award. She also performed roles in Walter Hill’s The Driver (1978) and Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Richard Thomas Marotta (born January 7, 1948) An American drummer and percussionist. He has appeared on recordings by leading artists such as Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Hall & Oates, Stevie Nicks, Wynonna, Roy Orbison, Todd Rundgren, Roberta Flack, Peter Frampton, Quincy Jones, Jackson Browne, Al Kooper, Waylon Jennings, Randy Newman, Kenny G, The Jacksons, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Boz Scaggs, Warren Zevon, and Linda Ronstadt.He is also a composer who created music for the popular television shows See Dad Run, Everybody Loves Raymond and Yes, Dear.
Lewis Morley
Morley was born in Hong Kong to English and Chinese parents and interned in Stanley Internment Camp during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong between 1941 and 1945. When he was released he emigrated to the United Kingdom with his family. He studied at Twickenham Art School. Alongside David Bailey, Terence Donovan, Brian Duffy formed the nucleus of the photographic representation of swinging London. Perhaps best known for his photographs of Christine Keeler and Joe Orton, Morley began his career with assignments for magazines such as Tatler. He was also a successful theatre photographer for over 100 West End productions Morley emigrated to Australia in 1971. His first autobiography Black and White Lies was published in 1992. Joe Orton Working class man, who had dreams of being an actor. At RADA he met Kenneth Halliwell, who would become his lover. They worked together writing. They also stole library books and re-imagined their covers. For this they would be goaled. This had negative effects on the middle class Halliwell, but freed the voice of Orton From1964 to 1967 he was a force to be reckoned with, becoming the infant terrible of the London theatre world, writing and having 3 of his plays produced, Entertaining Mr Slone, Loot and What the Butler Saw. He was commissioned to write the follow up to Hard Day’s Night, which was a bit out there. A film was made of his life called Prick Up Your Ears, starring Gary Oldman. Anderson & Low A fine art photography duo consisting of Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low, who have collaborated since 1990. They are renowned for their innovative studies of athletes and explorations of costume and identity, with notable projects like “Road to 2012,” “Endure,” and “Manga Dreams.” Their work is characterized by a blend of portraiture, abstract images, and architectural studies, showcasing a keen attention to concept and form. Their photographs have been exhibited globally and are part of prestigious collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum. In recognition of their contributions to photography, they received an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in 2015.
Eureka O’Hanlon
Eureka O’Hanlon is a Naarm /Melbourne mid-career artist working in photography and photo montageThe major focus of his practice is the spiritual and emotional dimension of men explored through portraits of the male figure. His work is evolving to explore relationships between menHe uses photomontage to combine backgrounds, collected from travel from residencies or hand painted, with staged portraits of men taken in the studio He has gained knowledge of the European tradition through artists’ residencies in Berlin, Venice, Seville, Crete and Tunisia and recently extended his experience with travels to Japan Korea and IndiaHe was shortlisted in the Blake Prize (2024) and the Australia Post Midsumma Art Prize (2018 and 202). His work can be found at www.instagram.com/eurekaartist Jiang Feng 江峰 Jiang Feng is a non-gendered contemporary Taoist and multi-disciplinary artist working across genres in movement/dance, theatre, performance art, voice, text, modelling, film, photography, theory, pedagogy, and criticism. They attained their B.A. in English and Chinese literature from National Taiwan University in 2016. In 2019, they graduated with an M.F.A. degree in Performance and Performance Studies from Pratt Institute. They are now pursuing an M.A. in Cross-Disciplinary Corporeal Theories and Practice in the Department of Dance at Taipei National University of the Arts. Their works have been shown in Asia, America, and Europe I photographed Jiang in Taipei n in 2023. Aas he is a dancer he was amazingly intuitive in making the most of a very cramped hostel room. For the background I chose images of sacred Lake Biwa to emphasize the transcendent nature of his art making. His work can be found at www.instagram.com/jiangfeng_mine Wataru Oikawa Wataru is a half-Japanese, half-Nepali visual artist based between Nepal and Japan, his practice explores identity, heritage, and the relationship between different ways of seeing, making, and expressing. His practice revolves around art forms connected to the body, exploring the body as both a canvas and a medium of expression. His work spans wearable art, fashion, props, tattoos, cosplay, jewellery, and other forms of visual and material experimentation. Rather than being limited to a single discipline or medium, he moves freely between different practices depending on the idea and form of expression he wants to explore. His work can be found at www.instagram.com/majin_studio I shot Wataru in my studio in Kyoto, the background is a composite of photography and hand drawn Peonies and references both cinematography and traditional Japanese portraiture
Nadar
Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (1820–1910), widely known by his pseudonym Nadar, was a multi-talented French photographer, caricaturist, and balloonist. In 1858, he achieved a major milestone in aviation and photography by capturing the world’s very first aerial photographs. Beyond his personal artistic work and his renowned portrait studio, which was later continued by his son Paul, Nadar played a crucial role in art history by lending his studio to host the first-ever Impressionist exhibition in April 1874. Armande Eugénie Dalli, known as Daltona (1855–1886) A mezzo soprano active in the late 19th-century in Paris. She was a recognized performer (pensionnaire) at the famous Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques in Paris.Her most celebrated contribution was stepping into the core repertoire of Charles Lecocq’s wildly popular opéra-comique, La Fille de Madame Angot, where she took over the major role of Mlle Lange during its historic multi-hundred performance run. She also performed internationally, traveling as part of French lyric touring companies to perform in major theaters abroad, including seasons in Buenos Aires in 1879. This is photoglyptie (woodburytype) print published by Lemercier et Cie in Paris, from a photograph by Nadar, depicting the singer. She was highly active in the vibrant Paris theater and operetta scene during the late 1870s and early 1880s. Blanche Marie Eugénie Querette A French actress active 1868 to 1880 who made a living in Paris. It was her trip to NYC in 1866 as part of a European ballet troupe to perform at the New York when the Academy of Music that made her noteworthy. This venue burnt down. Producers Henry Jarrett and Harry Palmer arranged with William Wheatley, manager of Niblo’s Garden, to fold the dancers and imported stage effects into a melodrama he was preparing. The story was a Faust-like fantasy about greed, innocence, supernatural temptation, and rescue. It supplied a frame sturdy enough to hold everything else: ballet scenes, transformations, comic turns, songs, elaborate scenery, and the advertising power of controversy. This provided the template of music, dancing, spoken word and most importunately spectacle that created the Broadway musical. The notations on the back of the print include the name of the original French name of the precursor production. The show opened at Niblo’s Garden in New York and became a massive success, running for 474 performances and is often credited as the first American musical.
Natalie Finney
Natalie Finney is a photographic artist based in Melbourne whose work explores the ways we shape, collect and construct our understanding of the world. Working across fine art and immersive installation, her practice examines themes of memory, identity, domestic culture and our evolving relationship with the natural world. While she often employs analogue techniques, her photography transcends medium - embracing both film and digital to craft emotive, atmospheric imagery that blends realism with a dreamlike quality. Her photographic series are available as limited-edition fine art prints. Cara Mand Cara is a fellow film photographer within the Filmblood community, as well as a muse to many of us. I photographed her as a double exposure, layering her figure with the windows and landscape behind her. The resulting image feels almost ghostly, as though she is both present in the room and somewhere beyond it. Sarah Black Photographed at her property in Flinders during a photography ‘playdate’ with a group of fellow women film photographers. Sarah has created Filmblood, a space that brings photographers together around analogue photography, creative experimentation and shared learning, with a strong emphasis on generosity and collaboration. She sits at the heart of a community that has grown around this shared love of film and making photographs together. Cara Mand Cara is a fellow film photographer within the Filmblood community, as well as a muse to many of us. I photographed her as a double exposure, layering her figure with the windows and landscape behind her. The resulting image feels almost ghostly, as though she is both present in the room and somewhere beyond it.
Norman Seeff
Seeff graduated with honors in science and art , he became a medical doctor in 1965. In 1968 he moved to the United States to follow his passion for art and photography. Soon after arriving in New York, Seeff’s street photographs caught the attention of Bob Cato former Vice President at Columbia Records. Cato became Seeff’s mentor and gave him his first major assignment. One of Seeff’s photographs was turned into a poster included with the album, quickly becoming a popular collector’s item. This recognition launched Seeff’s career as a rock photographer. His early work also featured Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, and other New York figures. At the end of 1971, Cato recommended a move to Los Angeles to become creative director of United Artists Records. Two years later, he opened his own studio on Sunset Boulevard. As Seeff developed his style, he realized that honest and energetic portraits required a new way of working with artists. In 1975, beginning with Ike and Tina Turner, he brought a film crew into one of his photography sessions. His photography sessions became famous, attracting 30 to 40 people and sometimes more than 200. For Seeff, the session itself became the artwork. It combined photography, filmmaking, and creative communication into one process. Alan Alda An American actor and filmmaker. In a career spanning seven decades on both stage and screen, he is best known for portraying Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce in the CBS wartime sitcom M*A*S*H (1972–1983), where he also wrote and directed numerous episodes of the series. Alda has received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards and six Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, three Tony Awards, and two BAFTA Awards. Alda is also known for his roles on Broadway acting in Purlie Victorious (1961) and receiving three Tony Award nominations for his performances. In 2008 he received a Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording nomination for Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself. Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner was an American musical duo composed of husband-and-wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. They were regarded as “one of the most potent live acts on the R&B circuit” and “leading exponents” of soul music. Ike & Tina Turner had a string of R&B hits with their early recordings “A Fool In Love”, “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine”, “I Idolize You”, “Poor Fool”, and “Tra La La La La”. The release of “River Deep – Mountain High” in 1966, followed by a tour of the UK with the Rolling Stones, increased their popularity in Europe. Their later works are noted for interpretive soul-infused re-arrangements of rock songs such as “Come Together”, “Honky Tonk Woman”, and “Proud Mary”, the latter of which won them a Grammy Award in 1972. The pair received the first Golden European Record Award for their international hit “Nutbush City Limits” in 1974. They released dozens of albums; their most successful by chart performance being Workin’ Together. Pitchfork listed their album River Deep – Mountain High among the best of its era. The duo sold more than 10 million records worldwide.[6] Despite their success, they had a tumultuous marriage and disbanded in 1976. Following their divorce, Tina achieved a highly acclaimed solo career, while Ike later found renewed success after returning to his blues roots. Ike died on December 12, 2007, at age 76, and Tina died on May 24, 2023, at age 83. Ike & Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.[7] Two of their singles, “River Deep – Mountain High” and “Proud Mary,” were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them No. 2 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. (text from Wikipedia
Roger Hyland
Roger is a photographer based in Melbourne. he became interested in street art in 2001 and began documenting its evolution in the streets of Melbourne. This eventually led him into street photography with people as my main subject. He shoot a mix of candid and consensual photos of people and situations he come across. The two people in these photos are his friends who happen to be artists. Nadine Keegan A Melbourne based Glass Artist. She trained in fine art in Melbourne and following a visit to Mexico, where she encountered the stained glass mural Cosmovitrial, she began to study and learn the skills that formed the basis of her serious artistic development. Seeing glass being used as an artistic medium in a contemporary setting, resonated with her keen interest in the craft movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries and provided her with a direction that aligned with the values she had taken from those movements. Although her medium is generally considered traditional, she has developed her own technique and style, which draws from ancient and contemporary sources. Peter Bakowski A Melbourne based poet. In a career that spans roughly 40 years, he has published several volumes of poetry; won the Victorian Premier’s Award: The C.J. Dennis Prize for Poetry in 1996; and was again shortlisted for the same prize in 2010. He writes in an unadorned style close to the way someone might speak to themselves, in the state of meditating on some simple occurrence in the course of an ordinary day. This photo was made during one of the brief windows of freedom in Melbourne during Covid. It was taken in Bourke Street outside one of the windows of Job’s Warehouse which at the time had been taken over by various artists.
Rosalind Pach
Since I met my drummer husband Dean, my life has been surrounded by musicians. In particular, drummers. Dean’s father, Bruce, was a jazz drummer in Sydney. And now our son, Harvey, has also become a very accomplished drummer. A few years ago I had the opportunity to shoot musicians in the studio. For this I chose my husband Dean and Harvey but also a more well known drummer Niko Schauble. Both shoots were quite different in nature but a lot of fun. Niko Schauble Niko Schauble is a wonderful character, a German-Australian jazz drummer, composer, teacher and sound engineer. Niko started playing piano at the age of 4 and was 11 when he started to play drums. He has performed with major artists around the world and in Australia. As a composer, he has been involved in film, stage and orchestras worldwide. Niko is also a very accomplished sound engineer working and recording from his studio, Pughouse Studios. I photographed Niko in the studio on film in 2018. Dean Constable & Harvey Constable My husband Dean and son Harvey are not only close as performing drummers but also bond with their humour, love of sport, music and creativity. When we discussed this shoot, we wanted to do something a little different. So why not replicate famous photos of other drummers we thought. In 2006, drummers Dave Weckl and Vinnie Colauita posed for a photo (as a promo for Remo Drumheads) replicating a famous shot by photographer Denis Williams of drummers Buddy Rich and Louis Bellson in 1974. Dave and Vinnie entitled their image “Funny How Time Repeats Itself.” Dean Constable and Harvey Constable were photographed in the studio in 2017.
Sionainne Costello
A contemporary multimedia visual artist whose work explores identity and the conscious human experience, drawing on the relationship between humans, technology, and the world around us. Working across photography and videography, they blend mediums and techniques to explore interconnection and transcendence — often through the cosmos, landscapes, and portraiture — inviting viewers into an emotional and conceptual dialogue with each piece. Jun Woodfield Jun Woodfield is a musical theatre performer who discovered her passion for dance and performance as a young child growing up in Far North Queensland. As a teenager, she was diagnosed with Alopecia, and spent years learning to navigate self-image while continuing to chase her dreams in the spotlight. At 16, she moved to Melbourne to study at Patrick’s Studios Performing Arts School, where she spent five years honing her craft and taking on roles in a range of smaller productions. Her dedication led to her big break as a swing and ensemble member in the Australian 2023/24 production of Wicked, a role she carried into the show’s world tour. Alex Ibarra Alex Ibarra is an indie filmmaker and writer who swapped California for Melbourne to dive into the local art scene. After studying cinema in college, he jumped straight into the deep end by writing, directing, and editing his first feature film, Daniel, the Goodboy. When he is not working on his own movies, you can find him collaborating with Melbourne creatives on music videos and local indie projects.
William Yang
A social history photographer, playwright, artist, and filmmaker. Yang’s photography and performances span over 50 years and document the uncharted growth and influence of Sydney’s gay subculture from the 1970s through to the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s and beyond. Through the media of photography and performance Yang also explores his own ethnicity as a Chinese Australian and the intersection of his ethnic background and sexuality. Tony Ayers and Michael McMahon Tony and Michael have been partners for the longest time, have been the driving force of Matchbox Pictures and now Big Little Pictures. These production companies have made films and TV, including Ali’s Wedding, The Slap and Nowhere Boys. ‘ Takayuki Suzuki, garrie maguire and Masa William would often come and make photographs as people’s parties. This was a poor way to make a living. As he and garrie are both photographers, he would occasionally send some. Taka and Masa were friends of Toshi whom garrie was dating. garrie was a photographer within the LGBTQIA+ community in Sydney, now in Melbourne. g was one of the first artists to emerge after HIV had past its peak. There is a biography under his own work in this show.
