Optimistically Omnivorous

19th June - 1st August

Onespace Gallery

Optimistically Omnivorous is a small yet potent survey exhibition of photographic artists who were either born in or later moved to, and are influenced by or critical of, the locale of Queensland. This exhibition is part of Onespace Gallery’s ongoing commitment to the photographic community of Queensland. It seeks to present new work from diverse voices on a unique place. With a line-up of established and several impressive emerging artists, Optimistically Omnivorous includes works by Cara Coombe, Peter Fischmann, Teresa Fornataro, Julia Scott Green, Christopher Handran and James Hornsby.

We are delighted to have the opportunity to invite a smaller number of guests to our new space to explore the exhibition and hear more about the artists and their works. We will be offering refreshments as part of each hourly session. Unfortunately spaces will be limited, so RSVPs will be taken until capacity is reach for each session.

Please see session times and details below:

FRIDAY 19 JUNE
Preview/Collectors Appointments: Hourly, from 1-5pm
5-6pm Viewing
6-7pm Conversation (Martin Smith, curator, in conversation James Hornsby & Julia Scott Green)
7-8pm Viewing

SATURDAY 20 JUNE
2-3pm Viewing
3-4pm Conversation (Martin Smith, curator, in conversation Cara Coombe & Teresa Fornataro)
4-5pm Viewing

Note: We would also like to assure you that we are practicing safe and hygienic practices throughout the gallery space and we will ensure that there are no more than 15 attendees in the gallery at one time to abide by the Government’s social distancing guidelines.

RSVP HERE

“Optimistically Omnivorous presents the work of six Queensland-based photographic artists, whose practices utilise materials, places and ideas that are readily available. However, they employ divergent methods, approaches and philosophical connections to the medium. From constructed performances that reveal false narratives to indexical documentations that emphasise a specific time or place, the exhibition highlights photography’s multiple modes for representing us and itself, questioning the very act of looking.

With the artists working from, or close to, home with simple materials and processes, Optimistically Omnivorous creates connections to communities and each other around a common place—Queensland—through the presentation of familiar landscapes, known cultural conventions, habits and actions, with shared narratives around universal experiences. Highlighting the ordinary, routine and often overlooked expressions of independence, the artists in the exhibition do not proclaim to represent Queensland or Photography in any substantive way, but seek to draw parallels between individual daily experiences of a place, its influences on our actions, and its subsequent representation.”

— Martin Smith, Curator (Catalogue Essay Excerpt)

Image: James Hornsby, Don’t get your hopes up, 2019, Digital UV print on acrylic, AP + Edition of 1, 120 x 90cm.