Hydrangeas in a New Light: Hydrangea Transitions exhibition opens at Oakleigh Library

4 August 2026

Melbourne photographer Stefanie Wendler-Canning is inviting visitors to see one of the garden's most familiar flowers from an entirely different perspective in her new exhibition, Hydrangea Transitions, now showing at Oakleigh Library's Lightbox Gallery.

Running until 30 September, the exhibition features 13 illuminated photographic works exploring the changing life cycle of hydrangea blooms, from vibrant flowers at their peak through to their delicate, dried forms.

The exhibition is presented in the library's purpose-built Lightbox Gallery, a space dedicated to photographic, digital and illustrative art.

Rather than focusing solely on the flower in full bloom, Wendler-Canning's images celebrate the subtle beauty that emerges as hydrangeas age. Fine veins, translucent petals and intricate textures become the subjects, revealing details often overlooked in the garden.

Presented as backlit lightbox prints, the photographs make use of illumination to highlight the delicate structure of the petals, creating almost botanical studies that blur the line between photography and abstract art.

Wendler-Canning says the bigger flower heads were photographed using exposure bracketing and then combined in Photoshop, while the macro and dried petal images were created from a single shot.

According to the exhibition statement, Hydrangea Transitions "celebrates colour variation and beauty of the different stages of a flower", encouraging viewers to see ageing not as decline, but as transformation.

The exhibition showcases hydrangeas "often called old fashioned" in a contemporary way, with the illuminated presentation emphasising their changing colours and intricate forms.

An official exhibition opening will be held at 10am on 12 August at Oakleigh Library, 148 Drummond Street, Oakleigh. The free exhibition is open during library opening hours from Monday to Saturday until 30 September.

You can find out more here.