Engaging: ACTS I-VII by Aussie art collective Oculi is on display at Benalla Art Gallery until July 17.
Photo by
SEAN DAVEY, Contributed
A collective of 18 Australian photographers, known as Oculi, has transformed Benalla Art Gallery with their new exhibition ACTS I-VII.
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The group is united by a shared commitment to the power of visual storytelling, and the exhibition is part of PHOTO 2022.
This statewide photography festival investigates what “being human” means today.
Creative: ACTS I-VII by Aussie art collective Oculi is on display at Benalla Art Gallery until July 17.
Photo by
SEAN DAVEY, Contributed
Benalla Art Gallery director Eric Nash said ACTS I-VII was a momentous exhibition for the gallery.
“(It is) exactly the kind of enriching, thought-provoking experience we seek to bring to our community,” Mr Nash said.
“Oculi is an incredible collective of Australian fine art, journalistic, and documentary photographers.
Must see: ACTS I-VII by Aussie art collective Oculi is on display at Benalla Art Gallery until July 17.
Photo by
SEAN DAVEY, Contributed
“Each member has a unique perspective and set of life experiences they bring to their work.
“Through an intensive period of consideration, discussion, and curation, undertaken in concert with international curator Natasha Christia, the group have resolved ACTS I-VII, which skilfully brings together their distinct perspectives to explore our shared humanity.”
ACTS I-VII was first conceived as a reformulation of the philosopher Rudolph Steiner’s Seven Year Life Stages, and explores seven universal experiences that lie at the heart of our existence: Love and fear; trauma and grief; freedom and oppression; control and uncertainty; belonging and exclusion; science and spirit; and life and death.
Featuring new and existing work from its members — some unseen, some revisited and some in collaboration with the Benalla community — ACTS I-VII marks Oculi’s third decade as a photography collective.
The presented projects, interwoven with reflections from the artists about their work and process, reveal a group considering its roles, responsibilities, archives and desires amidst two years of social and environmental upheaval.
ACTS I-VII is intended as a reminder of what connects us and a prompt for contemplation.
Audiences are asked to consider the world and what it means to be an individual who is part of something more; a collective, community or an environment.
The exhibition has been curated by Oculi members Aishah Kenton, Abigail Varney, Alana Holmberg, Tajette O’Halloran, and Rachel Mounsey in conversation with Natasha Christia.
Beyond the internal Benalla Art Gallery exhibition, audiences will enjoy temporary public artworks in the Benalla Botanical Gardens, which resulted from a portrait photography residency by Rachel Mounsey.
A weekend of talks, tours, and events related to Benalla Art Gallery’s two PHOTO 2022 exhibitions — ACTS I-VII and Atong Atem’s Banksia — will be held from May 13 to 15:
Exhibition Celebration: ACTS I-VII from 7pm Friday, May 13;
Panel Talk: Documenting Trauma from 10am Saturday, May 14;
Slide Night: Oculi Works In Progress from 5pm to 7pm Saturday, May 14; and
Guided Exhibition Tour: ACTS I-VII from 10am, Sunday, May 15.
Numbers for these are strictly limited. Reserve your place at gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au
ACTS I-VII is on display at Benalla Art Gallery until July 17.
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