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

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.

Jewel-like portraits predominate. Grounded in her strong social and political convictions, Gibb created a sympathetic portrait of the community during a transformative period in Melbourne’s history.

Colin Cheng (ex-sailor from Canton), 26 Capel Street, West Melbournec. 1980. Image: Viva Gibb
Colin Cheng (ex-sailor from Canton), 26 Capel Street, West Melbournec. 1980. Image: Viva Gibb

The exhibition is comprised of over 250 photographs, half of which are the artist’s original silver gelatin prints. It draws on a generous donation of more than 200 of Gibb’s photographs to Melbourne Art Trust in 2025.

'On the street where I live' examines this significant body of work and re-introduces the sophisticated practice of an artist whose photographs have largely lain dormant for 30 years.

Curator Talk

City Gallery will be open on Sat 14 March 10am–4pm, with a curator talk at 11am.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

February

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.

Sydney: Until 11 April. Unfinished Business brings together the voices of 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities from remote, regional, and urban communities across Australia.

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.

Melbourne: 11 Feb – 25 April 2026. Familial brings together six international artists whose work navigates the emotional and psychological terrain of family.

March

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.

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.

Melbourne: 10 March – 5 May 2026. TOPshots is an annual celebration of emerging photo-media artists selected from a large pool of entries.

April

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