PHOTO Australia is presenting a landmark symposium Contemporary Photobooks from Australia celebrating Australian photographers at the Victoria & Albert Museum, South Kensington, on Tuesday 10 September. The special event in London will feature discussions and presentations by a selection of women and non-binary artists who will reflect on their practice and the experience of making art in Australia today, including Ying Ang, Atong Atem, Zoë Croggon, Liss Fenwick, Naomi Hobson (Kaantja/Umpila), and Lisa Sorgini.

 

Curated by PHOTO Australia and presented in partnership with the V&A, the symposium is free to attend and will feature opening remarks from Duncan Forbes, Head of Photography, V&A and Elias Redstone, Founder/Artistic Director of PHOTO Australia, and will be moderated by V&A Senior Curator of Photography Marta Weiss and Curator of Photography Catherine Troiano. The symposium will close with a reception hosted by the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, The Hon Stephen Smith.

 

“This world-first symposium brings together some of Australia’s most exciting talents in one of the world’s most prestigious museums. PHOTO Australia is proud to be able to connect the best photographers and artists from Australia with audiences around the world, presenting events and exhibitions that bring together people, art and ideas,” says Elias Redstone.

The symposium complements a free display of photobooks by 16 Australian women and non-binary photographers, curated by PHOTO Australia for the V&A’s new Photography Centre. Open to the public until November 2024, New Photobooks from Australia is the first national presentation of artist books at the institution, showcasing the quality and diversity of work being produced in Australia to an international audience.

 

The display, which previewed at PHOTO 2024 International Festival of Photography in Melbourne, engages portraiture, documentary and experimental photographic practices to explore a range of concerns and lived experiences – including First Nations youth culture, queer stories, reflections on parenthood, and experiences of migration – from established and emerging photographers.

 

“The stories that artists in Australia are tackling through photography are both specific and universal. They bear witness to the concerns held by these artists about the world around them, the society that they are shaping, and the medium of photography. This selection offers just a glimpse into the breadth of photographic energy being produced on this Southern Continent,” says PHOTO Australia Curator Pippa Milne.

The symposium Contemporary Photobooks from Australia is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program. Additional support is provided by the Bowness Family Foundation, Jo Horgan and Peter Wetenhall, and the Australian High Commission, United Kingdom.

 

For more information and to book your free ticket visit the V&A website.