The Essence by Agata Mayes

The Essence offers a unique, sensorial experience by combining soundscape, sculpture, video, and photography. The exhibition considers the subject of consciousness by challenging our views on reality and the origin of the universe.

In this work, Mayes examines explores the subject of consciousness, and by examining the relationship between inner and outer worlds she seeks to understand how those two spaces coexist to form the reality we experience.

© Agata Mayes, Three Moons, The Essence Series. Archival Inkjet Print, 2019.
© Agata Mayes, Three Moons, The Essence Series. Archival Inkjet Print, 2019.

Agata Mayes works predominantly with lens-based media, including photography and video in the form of projection installations. In The Essence, Mayes combines a timeless concept with a modern and high-tech presentation where, by mapping a video on the suspended sculpture, the artist creates a space for intimate reflection about our place in the universe.

Mayes encourages the viewers to extend their consciousness and to become open to the idea of reality beyond scientific proof. The installation gives us a sense of ambiguity when stepping into the projection room, allowing us to experience something larger than we can comprehend.

The soundscape for the installation was created by pianist and composer Ania Massetti.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

July

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.

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.

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.

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: 5 March – 7 August 2026. 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.

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.