LUNA: The Disguise of Daylight by Rod Schaffer

Venue: Forty-Five Downstairs
Location: 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
18 Aug - 29 Aug, 2015
Web: http://www.fortyfivedownstairs.com

For Rod Schaffer, the starting point of each image in this series is pure darkness. From there specific objects - familiar organic and inorganic objects - can each hold centre stage. This nocturnal or moonlit view allows a fresh assessment to emerge. No longer disguised by daylight, even somewhat banal objects now assume a powerful solitary presence, full of beauty and grace, mystery and uncertainty, menacing or luminous.

LUNA was shot in locations all around Australia over the last five years, using a mixture of large format (5x4), DSLR and Hasselblad Digital H450 cameras. The descriptive power of these cameras is in the tremendous detail they can capture and the beautiful tonal range they cover. The artist says that for him, everything about this series reflects everything he loves about photography - the philosophy of how we look at the world via images, and the practical and planning side of working.

Organised by: Rodney Schaffer Photography

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February

Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light

Melbourne: 28 Nov 2025 – 26 May 2026. The exhibition celebrates the wide-ranging photographic practices of more than eighty women artists working between 1900 and 1975.

180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3006 NGV | 1 Feb - 26 May, 2026

Trent Parke: The Christmas tree bucket

Canberra: Until 6 Sept 2026. Trent Parke’s photographic series The Christmas tree bucket 2006–09 is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas.

National Gallery of Australia (NGA) Parkes Place East, Parkes ACT 2600 | 2 Feb - 6 Sep, 2026

March

Mervyn Bishop: Close Up

Sydney: Until 7 Feb 2027. From his archive of more than 200,000 images, Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured.

1 Shakespeare Place Sydney NSW 2000 State Library of NSW | 1 Mar, 2026 - 7 Feb, 2027

On the street where I live: Viva Gibb's portrait of North and West Melbourne

Melbourne: 5 March – 7 August 2026. Between the mid-1970s and early 1990s, artist and social documentary photographer Viva Gibb (1945-2017) documented the suburbs of North and West Melbourne, where she lived.

110 Swanston St Melbourne 3000 City Gallery – Melbourne Town Hall | 5 Mar - 7 Aug, 2026

Coded Blooms | flowers have never been innocent

Melbourne: 7 March – 24 May 2026. Photos of flowers from the NGA collection by prominent photographers drawn such as Robert Mapplethorpe and four groundbreaking Australian photographers.

860 Ferntree Gully Road Wheelers Hill Victoria 3150 Australia Museum of Australian Photography | 7 Mar - 24 May, 2026

April

Ships and Figureheads

Sydney: 15 April – 9 May 2026. An exhibition of fine art photography celebrating the intersection of maritime history and the human form.

Level 1 – 41 Crown Street, Woolloomooloo NSW Ellipsis Gallery | 15 Apr - 9 May, 2026

May

PIX – The magazine that changed everything (1938-1972)

Sydney: Until 16 August 2026. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney State Library of NSW | 1 May - 16 Aug, 2026

Drew Hopper: West of Somewhere East

Coffs Harbour: 28 May – 29 June 2026. West Of Somewhere East is a photographic series tracing a cinematic journey through the interior of New South Wales, shaped by long drives, fleeting encounters, and the reflective rhythm of return.

27 Gordon Street, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Yarrila Arts and Museum | 28 May - 28 Jun, 2026