PHOTO 2021 International Festival of Photography

The inaugural PHOTO 2021 International Festival of Photography will reanimate the streets and galleries of Melbourne and regional Victoria. PHOTO 2021 has commissioned photographers from across the globe to create new works that explore the critical relationship between photography and ‘The Truth’. The festival will feature 40 free outdoor works and 39 free exhibitions, showcasing the works over 160 artists.

© Sara, Peter, and Tobias
© Sara, Peter, and Tobias

PHOTO 2021 collaborated with over 65 cultural institutions, museums, galleries, universities, government departments and commercial partners to bring together the world’s best photographic practitioners to Melbourne. The events program includes PHOTO LIVE, PHOTO IDEAS, and PHOTO 2021 Photobook Weekend, as well as a comprehensive program of events presented by the Festival’s Exhibition and Program Partners.

New commissions and works from artists including Zanele Muholi (South Africa), Sam Contis (USA), Hoda Afshar (Iran/Australia), Brook Andrew (Wiradjuri/Celtic, Australia), Patrick Waterhouse (UK), Daniel Shea (USA), Yvonne Todd (NZ), Hayley Millar-Baker (Gunditjmara, Australia), Atong Atem (South Sudan/Australia), along with many more will be on display.

© Ann Shelton.
© Ann Shelton.

For the first time ever, the Metro Tunnel Creative Program has invited one festival to curate works across all their construction sites. The PHOTO 2021 X Metro Tunnel Creative Program, will display over 500 metres of art comprising of new work from Felicity Hammond (UK), Kenta Cobayashi (Japan), Ann Shelton (New Zealand), James Tylor (Australia), and more, with most works being specifically commissioned to premiere at the Festival.

Other Australian premieres from international artists include works from Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs (Switzerland), Emmanuelle Andrianjafy (Madagascar), Broomberg & Chanarin (South Africa/UK), Sara Cwynar (Canada), Simon Fujiwara (UK/Japan), Nanna Heitmann (Germany/Russia), Sim Chi Yin (Singapore), and Gustavo Germano (Argentina).

See the full program here.

A comprehensive list of all the artists featured can be seen here.

© George Georgiou
© George Georgiou
© Kate Disher-Quill
© Kate Disher-Quill
© Jesse Boyd
© Jesse Boyd

 

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November

Sydney: The exhibition delves into the State Library of NSW's vast collection of two million images, showcasing 400 photos – many displayed for the first time.

February

Ballarat: Scotty So is a Melbourne-based artist who works across media, using painting, photography, sculptures, site-responsive installation, videos and drag performance.

Melbourne: Jill Orr’s The Promised Land Refigured is an exhibition that reworks the original project created in 2012 with new insights that have emerged in the past eleven years.

Sydney: Curated by Lynn Smith, Urban Enigmas aims to unlock the subtle mysteries that lurk in out-of-the-way places in big cities: back lanes, river banks, street markets, abandoned factories, old bridges and so on.

March

Ballarat: Nan Goldin is an American artist whose work explores subcultures, moments of intimacy, the impacts of the HIV/AIDS and opioid epidemics on her communities, and photography as a tool for social activism.

Sydney: The Ocean Photographer of the Year Award, run by London based Oceanographic Magazine is in its 4th year and has quickly achieved recognition amongst photographers around the world.

Albury: The National Photography Prize offers a $30,000 acquisitive prize, the $5000 John and Margaret Baker Fellowship for an emerging practitioner, and further supports a number of artists through focused acquisitions.