This exhibition of photo and video-based artists considers the role of the camera in the contemporary collapse between public and private spheres. How does photography and the mass saturation of imagery affect notions of social agency and ethics in the contemporary world? Submerging itself in complex sets of psychological and social relationships formed via camera-based representation, such as masquerade, pose and performance, a type of dialogue emerges between these Australian practitioners and international peers such as Jeff Wall and Nan Goldin.
Perfect Strangers stages a set of encounters between the individual, private figure and public space. Who do we become in the public register of photography - the register of memory and history? How do our daily encounters with strangers influence our own understanding of a society? These questions engage the viewer as they interact with the artwork - Deej Fabyc's tacky late-1970s snapshots of drunken school buddies uncomfortably conjures up our own embarrassing memories, while Elvis Richardson's video installation features the artist endlessly repeating a joke about serial killer Ivan Milat, thus distancing the viewer from its impact.
Perfect Strangers, curated by Blair French, features artists Denis Beaubois, Deej Fabyc, Alex Kershaw, Sandy Nicholson, Deborah Ostrow, Elvis Richardson, Silvia Velez and Justene Williams.
Co-presented by Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Image Credit: Deborah Ostrow

Centre for Contemporary Photography
404 George St, Fitzroy Victoria 3065, Australia
info@ccp.org.au
+61 39417 1549
FB / TW / IG
Gallery Hours
Wednesday—Sunday
11am—5pm
Seven nights after dark