Australian exotica

19 January – 3 March 2019

Australian exotica draws on Monash Gallery of Art’s nationally significant collection of Australian photographs and showcases a range of photographic work that engages with the theme of the exotic antipodes.

Ever since the fifteenth century, when European cartographers began including the contour of Terra Australis Incognita (‘the unknown land of the south’) in their speculative maps of the globe, the continent of Australia has been thought of as an exotic place. For many of the artists in this exhibition, this European vision is something that needs to be subverted and critiqued. For others, the idea of living in an eccentric environment, with surreal undertows, continues to inform a distinctively Australian sense of place.

Artists include Brook Andrew, Michael Cook, Destiny Deacon, Peter Dombrovskis, Marian Drew, Leah King-Smith, Joseph McGlennon, Tracey Moffatt, Darren Siwes, Robyn Stacey and Christian Thompson.

An MGA travelling exhibition

Image: PETER DOMBROVSKIS Lake Oberon, Western Arthur Range, south-west Tasmania 1988
Monash Gallery of Art, City of Monash Collection. Courtesy of the estate of Peter Dombrovskis