Bumper program set for PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography

After two successful iterations (PHOTO 2020 and PHOTO 2021), PHOTO 2022 brings a host of newly commissioned works, exhibitions, and events on throughout the streets of Melbourne and into regional Victoria. From 29 April to 22 May, 90 exhibitions and outdoor artworks will be on display as part of Australia’s largest photography biennale, showcasing works by 123 international and locally renowned artists.

“A trail of 40 outdoor displays across the city combined with commissioned work and exclusive exhibitions offer a unique art experience for audiences. Responding to the theme Being Human, PHOTO 2022 showcases both the big topics and minutiae of the human experience, with work that creates moments of awe and wonder at the beauty and complexity of life today,” said Elias Redstone, artistic director of PHOTO 2022.

Australian artists such as Atong Atem, Naomi Hobson, Dean Cross, Ying Ang, Hannah Brontë, Scotty So, Madeline Bishop, Anu Kumar and Patrick Pound will all show work as part of PHOTO 2022. Bidjara artist Christian Thompson will present a photography and sound installation in the courtyard of the old Melbourne Gaol, Hoda Afshar will exhibit her series Speak the wind at Monash Gallery of Art and Jenny Lewis will present a momentous documentary exhibition profiling a community in a 100 metre-long construction hoarding connected to the Metro Tunnel.

Helmut Newton (DE/ AU) and Cindy Sherman (US) will be honoured as icons of photography, amongst the host of exhibitions by contemporary artists. International exhibitors include artists Gillian Wearing (UK), Paul Mpagi Sepuya (US), Mohamed Bourouissa (DZ/FR), Poulomi Basu (IN), Vasantha Yogananthan (FR), Aziz Hazara (AF), MarAne GuAerrez (US), Massimo Vitali (IT), Florian Hetz (DE), Philip Montgomery (MX/US) and Luo Yang (CN), among others.

“PHOTO 2022 is an opportunity for people to be inspired by photography as an art form and to question the role it plays in our everyday lives. We are proud to be supporting the sector in Australia through commissioning artists and raising the profile of Melbourne as a global city of photography. It is also a time to collect photography, with the city’s leading commercial galleries premiering new work by Australian artists,” said Mark Henry, chair of Photo Australia.

PHOTO 2022 is split into five precincts for people to explore: the Town Hall precinct, Parliament precinct, River precinct, State Library precinct, and Fitzroy/Collingwood, as well as venues throughout Melbourne and into regional Victoria. Entry to PHOTO 2022 is free, excluding the Helmut Newton exhibition. You can read more about the program here: https://photo.org.au/