Light Sensitive

Photography has come to dominate the contemporary art scene but despite the photo rich days we live in, large-scale surveys of Australian photography are relatively rare. Light Sensitive seeks to redress this lack and features a major exhibition of work by early to mid-career Australian photographers. The exhibition comprises 65 photographs by 38 photographers including, Brook Andrew, Patricia Piccinini, Simon Cuthbert, Cherine Fahd, Rebecca Ann Hobbs, Simon Obarzanek, Selina Ou and Deborah Paauwe.

Light Sensitive comprises five themes and ranges from the ‘uncanny’ which includes evocative camera-less images called ‘photograms’ and surrealist-inspired images; ‘new portraiture’ which takes a time-honoured subject into fresh creative areas; a distinctive examination of physically (but not psychically) vacant spaces; documentary work that considers reality in provocative ways; and photographs that explore the complex nature of social groupings in our modern world.

All the photographs are part of the NGV’s permanent collection and were acquired through a generous donation given by Mrs Loti Smorgon, A.O. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated publication, featuring an essay by the NGV Senior Curator of Photography, Isobel Crombie, along with extensive biographies.