VIEW2026

XinShuo Zhuo, Among the Interstices, installation view, 2026.

Image: Gabrielle Hall-Lomax

 

As always when walking into this gallery, the works to the left are the first that visitors see. In this exhibition they are those of XinShuo Zhuo. The large cascading calligraphy scroll is the very successful feature piece amongst numerous small, distressed and toned prints decorating the surrounding wall spaces. The artist is seeking to explore the relationship between images, memory and environment. It draws on Zhuo’s personal life journey so far and encourages us to wonder about the future. Essayist Kung suggests this body of work awakens a tenderness, a fragility, creating an inward expanse that makes room for feeling.

Moving into the space to the right of the entrance, there are works by three more of the artists. On the left Dylan Marriott shows us two pieces from a forthcoming solo show he is to have in Melbourne. One shows youths we are barely able to see lounging along a river’s edge. It is an impressive and powerful work. This artist has said he is jealous of painting’s freedom of expression, yet here he has shown today’s photographers can also be similarly free.

Dylan Marriott, Wake, installation view, 2026.

Image courtesy the artist.

On the long opposite wall and the small end wall of this space there are fourteen pieces by Cass Li. The sole artwork on the end wall is vibrantly coloured capturing attention immediately, so much so that I examined it first before turning back to the other images by Li. Each piece looks at a different aspect of the last days of her grandfather’s life and the mourning period that followed. This documentary series is, for me, the highlight of the exhibition. Initially concluding that Together, There’s No Need to Cry, Li has most successfully pulled together how different generations of her family have dealt with their grief, whilst also tracing the family’s migration journey. Taoist rites, Chinese Timorese ancestry, belongings left behind, and much more are all part of this wonderfully creative and moving, yet documentary, project.

Cass Li, Fung Bao 2013-2024, installation view, 2026.

Image: Gabrielle Hall-Lomax

Cass Li, Popo in Kung Kung’s room, searching, 2024.

Image courtesy the artist.

Finally, in the back room, Elesa Stellios is exhibiting a three-screen video installation, employing an interactive program. And Toni Tait has two works, also involving video. One is described as “remediated video” - remediation being the process of adapting content from one medium to another. Tait’s other work has archival audio, field recording and a section of PVC pipe also contributing.

 

Elesa Stellios, this is how i must look, video still, 2026

Toni Tait, This is Fair Dinkum, video still detail, 2025

Once again, the annual VIEW project has delivered interesting and diverse artworks by another group of early-career artists. The accompanying publication refers to the project being “resolutely focused on the broadest definition” of photographic practice. That certainly is true of this exhibition. The question that cannot be answered at this time in 2026 is whether or not these, or other, artists will continue to explore the same types of work or will move into other areas. We will have to wait and see where each participant goes in their future practices. Given what Alex Robinson has referred to as limitless possibilities, each of these artists might take their practices anywhere!


This review is also available on the author's blog.

2024 Concept to Exhibition

Photography Exhibition Review | Brian Rope

Concept to Exhibition I James Bolto, Kate Leddick, Fernanda Pedroso, Albert Soesastro, James Whitehead

PhotoAccess Gallery I 28 November 2024 – 21 December 2024

This exhibition is the outcome of the 2024 Concept to Exhibition workshop series conducted by Photo Access. After nine months of mentorship the participants have created new bodies of work showcasing their unique photographic styles.

James Bolto’s series of artworks explores wildlife – in particular the resilience of wildlife in the context of our expanding urban areas. Creatures have to adapt to live with us – or relocate to other habitats. The artist tells us that, in order to co-exist with us, wildlife species each have to find ways of living alongside us if they are to survive. His images provide information about various creatures which invite us to think about our co-existence with various species. This series effectively poses the question “to what extent should their challenges matter to us.” 

James Bolto - Black Mountain Colony, 2024

James Bolto, 2024 (Installation Image)

Kate Leddick’s series The Messy Journey of Motherhood, 2024 reflects on various aspects of family life, including love, parenthood, separation and chaos. The images have come from diving into her archives. The resultant series is, for her, a personal one about memories of what she considers to be a messy motherhood journey. The exhibition catalogue provides further details of how her feelings emerged as she undertook her exploration of her archives. 

In another series Silent Currents, 2024 Fernanda Pedroso has explored “the quiet sadness” of Tokyo – a city of silent currents, spaces between and spaces within: a city of crowds, of pulsing streets, and “where individuality thrives, yet human connection feels elusive.” Each of the images contributes to a most interesting overall snapshot of the busy city and reveals elements of the city that this artist has identified. This series is an excellent example of how photographers can explore specific urban areas and paint descriptions for those fortunate to see their imagery.

Fernanda Pedroso - from the series Silent Currents, 2024 

Fernanda Pedroso - from the series Silent Currents, 2024

Albert Soesastro has long been passionate about both photography and skateboarding. It makes sense therefore that he has merged those two passions and created photographs about skateboarding. These images immediately attracted my attention as I entered the gallery. They are vibrantly colourful and, together with their titles, reveal much about skateboarding to those of us who don’t have the knowledge.

Albert Soeastro - Argenis Urbina, Backside five-o-grind, Hume, 2023

Albert Soesastro - Annie Walker, Nose slide series, Canberra City, 2022

James Whitehead’s series reality : dreaming, circa 1987 – 2024 is about wondering what “the other side” was like, which side he was on, images recalling memories, everyday light, and new life taking shape. There are two distinct styles of images alternating on the walls of the gallery. Small colour prints arranged in groups are, presumably, memories. His other exhibits immediately say “artwork”. 

JAMES WHITEHEAD - from the series reality : dreaming, circa 1987 – 2024 

JAMES WHITEHEAD - from the series reality : dreaming, circa 1987 – 2024

Overall, the exhibition is well worth a visit. It is a credit to the five participants in the workshop, and to their mentoring by Alex Robinson. Once again, this annual program has delivered a worthwhile outcome.

This review is also available on the author's blog here.