Photography: Real and Imagined

MAN RAY: KIKI WITH AFRICAN MASK 1926 (supplied)
MAN RAY: KIKI WITH AFRICAN MASK 1926 (supplied)

Photography: Real & Imagined (13 October 2023 – 4 Feb 2024) is the largest survey of the NGV's Photography collection in the institution’s history and features more than 270 photographs from the past 125 years to present day.

The exhibition will present some of the most iconic photographs ever captured, alongside recent acquisitions that have not been presented beforewith work by leading Australian and international photographers including Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Wolfgang Tillmans, Gilbert & George and Nan Goldin, and Australian photographers Max Dupain, Olive Cotton, Mervyn Bishop, Polly Borland and Darren Sylvester.

The NGV photography collection holds more than 14,000 works and is the second largest collection area in the NGV, accounting for 16% of the entire collection. Four years in the making, this landmark exhibition interrogates the proposition that a photograph can be grounded in the real world, recording, documenting and reflecting the world around us; or be the product of imagination, storytelling and illusion; and on occasion they can be both.

You can read more about the upcoming exhibition on the NGV website.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

July

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.

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: 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.

August

Leica Store Gallery in both Sydney & Melbourne present a unique photographic dialogue between Steve McCurry and Jessie Brinkman Evans. Until late October.

Ballarat: 23 August – 19 October 2025. This year’s theme is Lifeforce, and it ties into an eight-week program of exhibitions, public art, talks, and workshops across more than 100 venues throughout Ballarat.

September

Melbourne: until 9 November. Man Ray and Max Dupain is the first major Australian exhibition to consider these two influential 20th century photographers side by side.

Melbourne: 13 September – 9 November 2025. Featuring selected finalists for the 2025 William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize.

October

Melbourne: Oct 31 – Nov 6. Chimera is a photographic investigation into the shifting landscape of beauty in the age of artificial intelligence and social media.