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.

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May

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.

Melbourne: Until March 2027. Rehearsing the City presents archival photographs from Victoria’s government collections, alongside new work by contemporary street photographers.

June

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.

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.

Sydney: June 6 – 19 July 2026. The World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 is returning to the State Library of New South Wales from 6 June to 19 July, offering Sydney audiences an uncompromising view of of the unending challenges that humans, and our planet face.

Melbourne: 6 June – 20 August 2026. Brook Andrew is an artist whose conceptual practice shifts across photography, performance, moving image, installation, public space and research, often through deep collaboration with artists, communities and friends.

Brisbane: until 18 October 2026. Known affectionately as the ‘Cool Cat of journalism’ Wayne moved effortlessly among the greats, between the media and community, treating every encounter as part of his day’s work behind the lens.

Melbourne: 26 June – 2 August. Through analogue photographic processes, Dylan Negri aims to immortalised fragments of life that would otherwise disintegrate.