What better way to hold a mirror up to society than with an exhibition of pictures reflecting our innermost thoughts and feelings? Mirror: New views on photography is a free exhibition at the State Library Victoria featuring 141 images from the photography collection that explores and expands on the meditative theme of ‘mirror’.
The images displayed are sourced from the 1950s until today and are the work of 52 artists, documentarians and photojournalists like Rennie Ellis, Viva Gibb, Helmut Newton and many more.
The photographs from the collection have acted as a springboard for emerging and established Victorian novelists, essayists and activists – like Alice Skye, Jason Tamiru and Prithvi Varatharajan - who have responded to the images with thought-provoking poems, songs, spoken word and audio visuals.
Their work has been spun into short films and soundscapes, displayed as large-scale projections on the walls of the Library’s Victoria Gallery, creating an immersive experience of the photography collection alongside artists’ responses.
“Mirror not only offers an insight into Victorian life through the lenses of some brilliant photographers,” said State Library Victoria CEO Paul Duldig, “but it also provides fresh perspectives of the library’s rich holdings of photography through the talents of some brilliant novelists, poets, performers and activists.”
Mirror: New views on photography is on at the State Library Victoria until January 28, 2024. You can discover more about the exhibition on the website here.
