For its 11th edition, the Ballarat International Foto Biennale will feature world premieres, Aussie exclusives, emerging local talent and legendary international figures.
From photojournalism to cutting-edge AI art, the biennale embraces the bold, the bizarre and the beautiful. Read on for what to expect this season.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Catherine Leroy: One Way Ticket to Vietnam 1966–1968
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- Catherine Leroy
- Ballarat Town Hall
The festival doesn’t shy away from hard-hitting subjects with Catherine Leroy: One Way Ticket to Vietnam 1966–1968 making its world premiere. The fearless French photojournalist’s raw documentation of the Vietnam War is showcased through images unveiled for the first time in this retrospective.
Prompted Peculiar International AI Prize
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- Miners Tavern
The festival embraces technology with the Prompted Peculiar International AI Prize, which will show in the Miners Tavern. This world premiere explores where artificial intelligence meets artistic creation, pushing boundaries of what photography can be.
I Love Campbell
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- Campbell Addy
- Ballarat Mining Exchange
The festival’s crown jewel is I Love Campbell, an Australian exclusive which sees British Ghanaian photographer Campbell Addy bring his celebration of beauty and diversity to Australian audiences for the first time. Addy’s fashion portfolio reads like a who’s who of contemporary culture, including Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé, Lizzo.
Enninful X Mapplethorpe
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- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Post Office Gallery
Another Australian exclusive awaits with Enninful x Mapplethorpe. British Vogue editor Edward Enninful OBE has curated 46 of iconic American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s iconic prints in a meeting of minds across decades.
Nature~ista
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- Racv Goldfields Resort
Nature lovers shouldn’t miss Nature~ista, yet another world premiere in which Papua New Guinea’s Leila Jeffreys, Colombia’s Maria Fernanda Cardoso and Melbourne’s Troy Emmery celebrate the natural world’s flamboyance through photography and sculpture.
Thành Phẩm
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- Lê Nguyên Phương
- Ballarat Library
Vietnamese artist Lê Nguyên Phương offers a powerful counter-narrative with Thành Phẩm. This world premiere reclaims the Vietnam War story through tender, soft hearted images that challenge dominant Western perspectives. It’s photography as cultural resistance.
Long Exposure: The Legacy Of Prahran College
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- Miners Tavern
Melbourne’s photography education legacy gets the celebration it deserves. This world premiere collective exhibition showcases 50 artists shaped by the iconic Melbourne institution, proving that good photography education creates ripples that last for decades.
Martin Kantor Portrait Prize
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- Govhub
Traditional portraiture gets its moment with the Martin Kantor Portrait Prize, where $15,000 awaits the winner of this prestigious acquisitive award. The prize pays tribute to the iconic Australian photographer and philanthropist who shot the likes of Iggy Pop, Grace Jones and Paul Kelly.
Mumu Mirri Dave Jones and Dr Deanne Gilson
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- National Centre For Photography
The centrepiece public artwork Mumu Mirri by Dave Jones and Dr Deanne Gilson graces the exterior of the National Centre for Photography. This shimmering moth sculpture celebrates resilience and transformation while honouring the Bogong Moth’s significance to First Nations people.
Memory Matrix
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- Jody Haines and Debasish Mukherjee
- Bridge Mall and The Goods Shed
Memory Matrix sees Jody Haines and Debasish Mukherjee collaborate across cultures. Their large-scale outdoor works explore memory, place and identity, making the streets themselves part of the conversation.
High Exposure
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- Annelìse Seréna Belladonna, Max Deutscher and Jett Leduc
- Various Locations
Ballarat’s laneways come alive with High Exposure, featuring emerging local artists Annelìse Seréna Belladonna, Max Deutscher and Jett Leduc. Their work reflects the theme of Lifeforce across the city’s heritage architecture.
Gradfoto
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- Monika Makour, Harry Merriman, Jesse Pretorius and Emily Raffaele
- Govhub Precinct Gardens
The GradFoto exhibition brings together four emerging Australian photographers. This new generation of talent represents the future of the medium, showing where photography is heading in Australian hands.
Guma
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- Leicolhn Mckellar
- Art Screen, Alfred Deakin Place
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory-based photographer Leicolhn McKellar’s Guma highlights the ties between place and identity. The title means blood in the Budjiti language, grounding the work in country and connection.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.
