Dreaming Mum again by Leah King-Smith

 In 2018 to accompany the Bowness Photography Prize exhibition, MGA launched an annual exhibition series to showcase and explore the practice of a past winner or finalist.

© Leah King-Smith. Baby, 2018, from the series, Dreaming Mum again. Chromogenic print, 105.0 x 86.0 cm, courtesy of the artist.
© Leah King-Smith. Baby, 2018, from the series, Dreaming Mum again.
Chromogenic print, 105 x 86 cm, courtesy of the artist.

Leah King-Smith is both a previous Bowness Photography Prize finalist and an MGA collection artist. King-Smith is a Queensland-based artist with a photographic practice extending across three decades. This exhibition presents the series, Dreaming Mum again, which includes King-Smith’s Bowness Photography Prize work from 2018. The series depicts the artist’s mother placed back into the context of her ancestral lands through her signature process of layering photographs.

© Leah King-Smith. Couple, 2018, from the series, Dreaming Mum again. Chromogenic print, printed 2019, 93.0 x 93.0 cm, courtesy of the artist.
© Leah King-Smith. Couple, 2018, from the series, Dreaming Mum again.
Chromogenic print, printed 2019, 93 x 93 cm, courtesy of the artist.

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April

Canberra: 27 Feb until 20 July 2025. The National Library has invited renowned Australian photojournalist Mike Bowers to select some of his favourite images from the Fairfax Photo Archive.

Brisbane: Until 13 July 2025. Amateur Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott (1870-1954) extraordinary images lay dormant for decades until they were discovered only recently. This exhibition is curated by seven Brisbane photographers.

Melbourne: 1 March – 25 May 2025. Featuring the work of approximately 60 artists, The Basement brings to light rare vintage prints from the 1960s – 1980s, from students and teachers of the College’s Diploma of Art & Design (Photography).

Perth: Until 18 May 2025. Henry Roy – Impossible Island draws on 40-years of recollections and observations as it brings together 113 photos taken from 1983 to 2023.

Sydney: Until 31 Dec 2025. 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.

Sydney: Until 30 June. The photographs in Max Dupain: Student Life were taken at the University of Sydney in the early 1950s, a period of rapid change marked by the politics of the Cold War.

May

Melbourne: Until 25 May. An exhibition of the mature and recent work of photographer / artists who trained at the ground-breaking Prahran CAE, Melbourne in the 1970s and '80s.

Sydney: 15 May – 19 October. Showcasing 100 incredible images, this remarkable exhibition offers a window into the astonishing variety of life on our planet – and the critical importance of preserving it.

Melbourne: One off event on Sunday 25 May. Photography Studies College (PSC) is calling artists, photographers, designers and technologists to be part of AI Symposium 2025 Beyond the Lens – unpacking the creative and cultural impacts of AI.

Perth: From 31 May – 28 Sept 2025. Featuring 85 works from three major series – Deep Springs, Overpass, and Cross Country – the exhibition spans twelve years of Contis’s evolving photographic practice.