New exhibition showcases Melbourne street photography

24 July 2023

The Victorian Archives Centre (VAC) Gallery's newest exhibition, Collective City, opens on Thursday.

According to VAC, Collective City features historic photographs of Melbourne from the state and federal government archives, alongside images representing the city today, curated from submissions by contemporary street photographers.

The Passenger
Adam Sinclair, Melbourne. 2021.
This photograph was taken in the middle of Melbourne’s winter, late in the evening on a busy city tram. I’d been working on a project documenting city life after the sun had gone down. I wasn’t on the tram to go anywhere, it was a loop, like life.
There is no better place to observe our togetherness, our weariness and strangeness as on a tram. Families chat about dinner, city workers stare blankly at the walls, young people ignore it all with Spotify in their ears. I have made quiet pictures of many of them. Invariably when a collective comes together, the boundaries of that collective come into view, as in this image. The passenger’s head barely moved from his hands save to stare out the window for a moment. Instagram @_alightfantastic_ — The Passenger Adam Sinclair, Melbourne. 2021. This photograph was taken in the middle of Melbourne’s winter, late in the evening on a busy city tram. I’d been working on a project documenting city life after the sun had gone down. I wasn’t on the tram to go anywhere, it was a loop, like life. There is no better place to observe our togetherness, our weariness and strangeness as on a tram. Families chat about dinner, city workers stare blankly at the walls, young people ignore it all with Spotify in their ears. I have made quiet pictures of many of them. Invariably when a collective comes together, the boundaries of that collective come into view, as in this image. The passenger’s head barely moved from his hands save to stare out the window for a moment. Instagram @_alightfantastic_

The exhibition includes the work of Cathrin Plunkett, Francesca Donnoli, Gonzzalo Palta, Shiang Liew, Sally Coggle, Mark Davidson, Mike Reed, Nathan Coote, Andrew Wilson, Adam Sinclair, Jane Hinwood and Ilana Rose.

Event organisers say the exhibition explores the moments of joy and connection that happen in public spaces, between friends, family and strangers.

"It also highlights the ways people can feel disconnected or lonely in a crowd, and the divisions created by inequity of access to services and public spaces."

Where: Victorian Archives Centre, 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051
When: From 28 July 2023 through to 2024.
Opening Night: 5pm – 6:30pm, 27 July 2023. Tix available here.