About
Photo Australia supports universal access to diverse, progressive, meaningful discourse to make sense of ourselves and the world around us. We achieve this through the promotion and commissioning of new photography and ideas, connecting Australia to a global arts and photography community.
The Inside Out Project, Federation Square. Supported by the City of Melbourne. Photo by J Forsyth.
Photo Australia
Photo Australia was established in 2018 by Artistic Director Elias Redstone in partnership with founding board members William Bowness AO, Mark Henry and Naomi Milgrom AC to deliver a major new photography biennial for Australia. Photo Australia supports universal access to diverse, progressive, meaningful discourse through the commissioning, presentation and promotion of new photography, art and ideas.
PHOTO International Festival of Photography
Located in Melbourne and extending to cities across regional Victoria, PHOTO is Australia’s largest photography event and is delivered in collaboration with over 50 cultural, education, industry and government partners.
Responding to a central theme, the biennial invites artists, curators, academics and audiences to interrogate the major issues of our time through a program of exhibitions in galleries and outdoor locations, alongside events and professional development programs. Dedicated to contemporary photography, the focus is on premiering new work alongside exclusive presentations by international artists.
Responding to the theme of ‘The Truth’, PHOTO 2021 (originally conceived as PHOTO 2020) explored the veracity of the photographic image in a time of social media, fake news, and artificial intelligence.
PHOTO 2022’s theme was ‘Being Human’ and addressed the contemporary human condition through the lens of Mortality, Self, Society, Nature and History.
In a time of ecological, social and political uncertainty, PHOTO 2024 will invite audiences to imagine the world as it could be, and how current actions and activisms are shaping future realities. PHOTO 2024 will take place from 1 to 24 March 2024.
Artist opportunities, education and development
In addition to the Festival, Photo Australia runs a series of programs to support professional development and to raise the profile of Australian photography, including PHOTO Lab aimed at preparing emerging photographers for professional practice; an international curators program in partnership with Australia Council for the Arts; New Photographers, our showcase of emerging talent; and PHOTO Editions, a partnership with Perimeter Books to publish photobooks by Australian artists.
Hayley Millar Baker, I Will Survive, 2021. Commissioned by Photo Australia for PHOTO 2021. Supported by State Library Victoria and the City of Melbourne Arts Grants Program. Photo by J Forsyth.
Our values
Photography is instrumental in the way we see, perceive and make sense of the world around us and, as a visual language, should be accessible to everyone. Photo Australia believes in providing equal opportunities regardless of race, colour, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability. We are committed to celebrating diversity and making our activities inclusive.