Additional newsletter photos by @ross_spirou_photographic_art & ross_spirou_photographic2

A blog for people who are into making, displaying, discovering, finding, buying, collecting & considering photographs. 

Welcome

Welcome to 2023. It is Midsumma in Melbourne and soon we will have our most consistent weather of the year.

Anything really important that happens before the next newsletters is here... http://www.reframe-refocus.xyz/news/

If you write photography criticism we would love to hear from you about building a career in Victoria. Also we are on the lookout for talented photographers/artists to promote through the newsletter, gallery and by word of mouth.

We are about building community. Feedback is welcome! Likewise if you know of any upcoming exhibitions or things we have missed, please let me know!

Previous listings stored on reframe-refocus.xyz.

Our goal is to reach as many people as we can and bring the photo community in Victoria together to know and experience all that we have. Each month our content moves to reframe-refocus.xyz for look buy, hire, labs and previous newsletters so that you can view a full list of what is here.

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THIS MONTH'S BIG THING

Warm weather!

And soon the best weather Melbourne has!

PHOTO EXHIBITIONS

Docklands

Docklands has two dedicated and other that regularly shows photography.

XYZ Photo Gallery - Docklands Link Map

Men/Still/Shooting

Ross Spirou, Scott Davis, Eureka O'Hanlon, Travis De Jonk, Brenton Parry & Rod Spark.

to 12 March 2023

2:00 - 6:00pm, Wed - Fri and Sunday

After last years Midsumma Exhibition featuring young gay artists we are having a look at how older photographers are representing the men of their desires, most with some form of covering, perhaps even some with modesty.

This is hard to find, Details on the website.

Magnet Gallery - Docklands Link Map

Caught in Light

David and Tom Wayman

1 - 25 February 2023
⁣
Awe-inspiring photographs of Landscapes and things seen on travels. ⁣

Here is the easy way to walk the Docklands precinct: XYZ and Magnet. Note check what time the spaces are open before leaving.

Inner North - Fitzroy Collingwood Brunswick

Brunswick Street Gallery - Fitzroy Link Map

99 Names

Ayman Kaake

28 January to 12 February 2023

99 Names is a photographic and video installation, exposing the criminalization of homosexuality in at least 74 countries, 13 of which impose death as penalty. This show is a testament on how we have been manipulated for years by hypocritical acts of atrocity whilst believers loudly quote from their holy books in the name of religion. To fit their shiny image of love whilst criminalizing the act of love.

Ayman Kaake was the recipient of the Brunswick Street Gallery Prize in the 2022 Small Works Art Prize.

99 Names is proudly presented as part of the 2023 Midsumma Festival.

Things That Shouldn't Last

Caroline Esbenshade

28 January to 12 February 2023

Things that shouldn’t last presents an ongoing exploration into how the narrative of a moment shifts once it has been translated into an object. Where a painting reflects the contemplation of many hours – a instant film frame captures a second. Here they ruminate on memory and our experience of intimacy.

Wolfhound Photographic Gallery - Fitzroy Link Map

Emerging Photographers

Daniel Murray, Cassidy Medwell, Silas Noah Bennett, Kaede James Takamoto, Emily Alldridge, Amy Wendel, Pearce Leal, Erhan Tirli, EJ Hassan, Spencer Nguyen and Blake Dearman

25 November to 4 December 2022

An aspiring group of talented photographers got together and in less time than it takes do most things we have created an amazing exhibition. A feast for the frontal lobes. Not to be missed. Resolve is a state of mind as well as a verb to be abused every New Year.

SOL Gallery - Fitzroy Link Map (formerly Black Cat Gallery)

Pleasure Project 2023
Jamie Grant

to 5 February 2023

Pleasure Project is a queer creative partnership between curators Tor Evans and Madeline Ferme, founded in response to the lack of meaningful, diverse and genuine representation of queer women and gender diverse people in art. Its mission is to elevate the art and voices of queer women and gender diverse people through meaningful exhibitions and creative projects.

I Admire, I Desire is Pleasure Project’s second exhibition, bringing together over thirty works from twelve artists, both local and international. The exhibition takes its cue from a common conundrum faced by queer women and gender diverse people —"do I want to be them, or do I want to be with them?" For many queer identifying people, the line between admiration and romantic or sexual desire can be blurred, particularly as the heteronormative society we are raised in so often blocks us from contemplating the latter. While the admire/desire phenomenon can be viewed as a product of the constraints of heteronormativity, this exhibition finds freedom, beauty, humour, joy and complexity in these liminal spaces. 

Heavenly Creatures
Grace Allen
to 5 February 2023

I'm intrigued by the idea that we are the product of our environment. Shaped by everything and everyone around us. Like a heavy rock sitting in the middle of a flowing river, slowly changing and eroding.

This selection of monotype prints are individual moments. Each presented as large granite inspired forms floating on delicate paper. Much like we and our dense existence occupy our fragile world; shaping and moulding each other.

CCP - Fitzroy Link Map

Getting to Borroloola

Miriam Charlie

Behind Glass

Lisa Sorgini

The Quickening

Ying Ang

Dairy Character

Odette England

January 27 – April 9, 2023

Four exhibitions to start the year.

Off The Kerb - Collingwood Link Map

Wilds
Caspar Conrick

2 - 16 Feb 2023

So often, our relationship with nature is determined by our ability to understand, harness or nullify it. ‘Wilds’ is a body of work concerned with this fraught relationship. The work addresses our increasing struggle to interact with the natural world within an urban landscape, and how we use built environments to substitute nature’s awe. Shot across France between 2020-2022‘Wilds’journeys from the humbling scale of the French alps, to small bourgeoning moments found between the pavers of central Paris

Hillvale Gallery - Brunswick Link Map

TBA

 Check weblink.

This Map links the Collingwood, Fitzroy and Carlton area. Note check what time the spaces are open before leaving.

Melbourne - East, North, South & City

Tucked around Melbourne and are many galleries and govt institutions. Much to see, though photography is central to only one.

RMIT Gallery - Melbourne Link Map

Radical Utopia

21 Feb - 27 May 2023

Melbourne in the 1980s was the site for new ideas to emerge, bend and transform the city, making its mark in post-modern design and media. Radical Utopia: an archaeology of a creative city explores the ways design and activism shaped the innovative cultural city we know today.   
   

Radical Utopia focuses on the studios, places, and spectacles of Melbourne where design was fiercely debated and produced. Surveying nightclubs, fashion parades, architecture media, gaming labs, graphic design collectives and everything in-between, Radical Utopia provides a map of the cultural infrastructure of the city and inner suburbs

Leica Gallery - Melbourne Link Map

Watercolours   

Narelle Autio

to 9 March 2023

A multi-award winning photographer, Narelle Autio's artistic career spans more than 30 years and portrays Australia's quintessential connection to nature.

In 2002 she became the first Australian to win the internationally-recognised Leica Oskar Barnack Award for her 'The Coastal Dwellers' photo series, in which her signature use of saturated colour and intense light on film so eloquently portrayed Australia's emblematic beach culture.

Hellenic Museum link

ONEIROI

Bill Henson

Indefinately

ONEIROI sets out to inspire discussion about what it means to be custodians of an ancient past and captures the way in which our history, culture and art shape the way in which we make sense of our own world. 

Old Treasury Building - Melbourne Link Map

Lost Jobs: The Changing World of Work

until 2023

The world of work is always changing and here is an odd history. This is not an exhibition of photography but an exhibition that has very interesting photography to illustrate the points it is making.

Archives Centre - North Melbourne Link Map

Tech School Exhibition

until 2023

To celebrate 150 years of public education in Victoria, we're shining a spotlight on the institutions that have provided young people with vocational training and hands-on learning since the late 19th century.

From bootmaking to cyborg physiology, we delve into the fascinating history of technical education across Melbourne and the regions. The stories include an architect on a mission to banish darkness from the classroom, the domestic studies college seeking to elevate the art of folding laundry and love letters thrown across the divide known as 'no man's land' at Preston Tech.

Tech School brings together stunning archival photographs, sourced from Public Record Office Victoria’s collection, alongside original documents and hand-painted building plans.

This Map links up all the Melbourne North, South, East and City for you for great walk (you might like to PT some of it). Note check what time the spaces are open before leaving.

South East

St Kilda has been a hub of arts for as long as it has been. It has a dedicated gallery and others that show photography. Further down there is Monash Gallery of Art the most important council gallery for photography.

Stranger Gallery - St Kilda Link Map

See Website for latest
 

Pride Centre - St Kilda Link Map

Queens of the Pub

Gerard and Marc

closing date not announced, check website

An ode to the punks and powerful women of St Kilda

This series of striking photographs depict the characters and survivors who have helped create the places where we gather and celebrate today. Through using recycled materials, heritage buildings, and residents of St Kilda, photographers Gerard and Marc honour the powerful women, and the rich history of Melbourne’s seaside playground in arresting style.

The Making of the Victorian Pride Centre

From concept to world-class LGBTIQ+ centre!

to April 3023

This exhibition explores the last 100 years of LGBTIQ+ history in Victoria, and the development of the iconic Victorian Pride Centre. Featuring architectural drawings and large photographic panels displaying images of the building during and after construction, and that highlight the context of LGBTIQ+ people before and after the human rights social revolution of the 1960s and 1970s.

Text and archival photographs of key people and events have been included from the Australian Queer Archives, St Kilda Historical Archives and State Library of Victoria, and images by Serge Thomann, Luke David, John Gollings and Daisy Searls. 

Jewish Museum of Australia - St Kilda Link Map

Helmut Newton - In Focus

Helmut Newton

to 29 January 2023

This is an expansive collection of the trailblazing image-maker’s most recognisable and quintessential works, including 78 original Newton photographs – the same daring and often controversial images that revolutionised the fashion world and established Newton as one of the most sought-after photographers of the 20th century.

Featuring items on loan from the State Library of Victoria, State Library of New South Wales, the Powerhouse Museum, National Archives Australia, RMIT Design Archives and private lenders, among many others, the exhibition delves into Newton’s early life and career, shining a light on his Jewish roots and youth in Berlin, his flight from Germany at the outbreak of WWII and his eventual internment at Tatura in regional Victoria as an enemy alien.

Monash Gallery of Art - Monash Link Map

Lovers and misfits

Peter Milne
25 November 2022 – 15 January 2023

Lovers and misfits is an exhibition of portraits by Peter Milne taken during the formative years of his artistic practice. Milne first began taking photographs of his friends, family and the Melbourne punk scene in the 1970s and over the subsequent decades captured a flow of figures including Nick Cave, Anita Lane, Rowland S Howard and Polly Borland. These iconic and warm portraits document Milne’s friends before they would go on to play pivotal roles in Australia’s music and art scene.

Leave only footprints

Tamara Dean

25 November 2022 – 19 February 2023

Emerging from the depths of nature Tamara Dean’s practice examines the human condition. Leave only footprints is the first survey of the critically acclaimed photo media artist and spans more than 20 years of her photographic practice. This immersive exhibition incorporates scent, photography, installation and the moving image to create an environment that engages the senses.

This Map links up all the St Kilda and other southern galleries for you for great drive. Note check what time the spaces are open before leaving.

South West

Geelong has a dedicated photo space and from time to time it is joined by other galleries and museums.

Focal Point Studio Darkroom and Gallery Link  Map

See The Music, Volume 3

Various

to 29 January 2023

The third See The Music exhibition will again showcase the work of around 20 photographers, featuring musical performances over a wide range of genres. Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues, Hip Hop and even musical theatre will be on display. Local performers to world-famous artists, from amateur and professional photographers, in colour and black-and-white. Most of the photos will be for sale, so this will be an ideal chance to grab a unique Christmas gift for that someone special. 

Weather: Nature's Beauty and Fury

Various

2 February to 29 April 2023

This will be much more than just an exhibition of sunrises and sunsets, although I'm sure there will be a few of those. It is about showing nature at its best and worst, from early morning fog or the beauty of the rainbow, to floods, droughts, storms, dust storms, lightning and all manner of wild weather.

As Ansel Adams once famously said: "There is no such thing as bad weather for photography. Only different weather."

North

Mostly out of town and a great day trip or more.

Gold Street Gallery - Trentham East Link Map

Harlequinade

Ellie Young

Late November 2022 to February 2023

This exhibition of opalotypes uses opal glass as the base to the images. The white glass enhances the porcelain white faces while the rest of the image falls into shadows. Simultaneously capturing bold, graphic qualities of the figures, their nuances of colour, the unique surface relief and tonality.

Ready for a day trip? Here is a map to find the Northern venues.

Additional newsletter photos by @ross_spirou_photographic_art & ross_spirou_photographic2

CONTESTS and OPPORTUNITIES

Contests are a little random, it depends on what that year's judges likes. Thus surprises happen all the time. Don't be intimidated, enter and only tell people when you get in! Raise your profile. Also check who the judges are.

Additional newsletter photos by @ross_spirou_photographic_art & ross_spirou_photographic2

EVENTS/TALKS/WORKSHOPS

One off:

Photobook Workshop

11-2 February 2023

Limited to 10 places, this two-day weekend workshop covers a range of topics about publishing a photobook, the process and the industry.The aim of the workshop is to equip participants with applicable and actionable knowledge about HOW to make a book. Rather than a review of your work, we’ll instead focus much more on what publishing involves and how it can work for you. Link

Regularly:

Gold Street Studios - Trentham East Link

This is the centre for Alt photographic processes in the southern hemisphere, and some would say the world. Many many workshops. 

District Darkroom - Coburg Link

The foundations of the black and white darkroom workshop. We’ll cover everything from the multi-step film development process to creating archival black and white prints. Working alongside our experienced lab technicians students will learn all aspects of film development, how to use the enlarger, basic printing steps, how contrast filters work, paper processing, and more advanced printing techniques like dodging and burning and toning for effect and archiving of prints.

Focal Point Studio, Darkroom & Gallery Link

One-on-one Darkroom Training

Introduction to Film Photography

Introduction to Car Portraiture

Check link for others. 

Melbourne Camera Club 

There is a lot see listings!

Courses Link

Very full calendar of events Link

Australian Association of Street Photographers Link

TBA

Work In Progress Link

Black & White Darkroom Printing

Colour C-Type Printing

B&W Refresher Course

see link for dates.

BUY, HIRE and FIX

UPDATES:

See reframe-refocus.xyz for all listings

BOOKSHOPS link

STUDIO HIRE link

PHOTO HARDWARE link

FILM and PROCESSING link 

PRINTING FINE ART

DARKROOMS for HIRE link

FILM SCANNING link

REPAIRS of PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT link

EQUIPMENT HIRE link

PUBLISHERS link

If we have missed any business around photography please tell us g@reframe-refocus.xyz we do save some more categories to go. 

Additional newsletter photos by @ross_spirou_photographic_art & ross_spirou_photographic2

reframe-refocus.xyz

Photo Scene Victoria is a initiative of reframe-refocus.xyz and XYZ Photo Gallery to help find and support artists and businesses to create a vibrant photo scene in Melbourne. 

If we made a mistake, missed something or you have a event coming up, or something photo Vic related, let us know at g@reframe-refocus.xyz 

After each email the information will be transferred to the link below, sign up is also here.