Photography goes Poof! by Matthew Jones

Photography goes Poof! a new exhibition curated by Stephen Zagala, on at the Monash Gallery of Art shows important works from the early 1990’s that question the value of making identity, in this instance sexual identity, publicly visible.

Between 1989 and 1994, Australian artist Mathew Jones made a number of photographic works about gay identity. A gay man himself, Jones was uncomfortable with the way gay politics of the time were focused on making homosexuality more and more visible in the public sphere; to be a gay man was to be out and proud, and preferably flamboyant and spectacular.

The works in this exhibition question making private proclivities into public spectacles. They achieve this by critiquing clichés that define homosexuality in the public sphere, and by offering the audience aesthetic experiences that confuse and complicate visual clarity around identity.

Opening hours are Tuesday – Friday, 10am–5pm and Saturday – Sunday 12pm–5pm.