Photography is a medium which effortlessly crosses conventional genre and art form definitions with a long and significant history of experimentation. In line with the rest of our program and a curatorial drive to present contemporary and experimental art, photography practice is a defining art form of our time which is accessible, universal and powerful.

As the only art space in the western region of Melbourne with a focus on contemporary and experimental arts, partnering with major international festivals is vital to The SUBSTATION’s ambition to creating opportunities for artists and audiences in the west to experience the best of contemporary art. Our partnership with PHOTO 2020 enables us to present a program with further reach, broaden our audience and attract new audiences to our unique venue and part of Melbourne.

Based in an area of over 130 cultural groups and 150 languages, The SUBSTATION is at the centre of one of the fastest growing population areas in the country. Our 100-year-old repurposed industrial building, renovated by our local community, is a literal symbol of the transformation taking place in our area and more broadly across the Western suburbs of Melbourne.

The artist we will present for 2020 practices across multiple disciplines in the search for a truth between the cracks of living things. Whether it is in the primal impulse of desire between animals, the gaze of a gender queer person falling through clouds, or the bare human forms of dancers railing against the surfaces of the earth, the artists’ work strips back layers of conditioning to capture an underlying truth about the communal act of being.

The SUBSTATION have invited an artist who practices across photography, film, sound and large scale installation to present their first survey show. These astonishing and deeply collaborative works will be staged throughout the unique architectural spaces of our building.