The Australian home
of photography
Inside the Gallery
Robyn Stacey: as still as life
Until 3 March 2019
Free Entry
“Far from fusty, the still life genre has not only endured and evolved, but has been a handmaiden to the evolution of photography as an art form.” — Ray Edgar, The Age
Robyn Stacey spent over a decade documenting significant Australian and International collections and archives. She chose the still life genre to harness the power of the objects to tell their stories. Seductively beautiful and prodigious in scale, the works are multifaceted and complex. Each object depicted has its own origin story. When combined with other objects these compositions reveal something of the lives of their owners through their impassioned collecting practices.
“Collections, particularly public collections, tell us who we are, where we came from and what we valued, collections also tell us what we have lost.” – Robyn Stacey
Still-life has been a genre employed and exploited by photographers since the birth of the medium. As still as life begins by tracing the dynamic and often surprising ways photographers have explored the genre with work by 35 photographers drawn from MGA’s collection.
Artists included
Ann Balla, Del Kathryn Barton, Francis Busby, Nanette Carter, Jack Cato, Katthy Cavaliere, Olive Cotton, Sean Davey, Julie Davies and Alex Rizkalla, Marian Drew, Max Dupain, John Eaton, Susan Fereday, Joachim Froese, Viva Gibb, Christine Godden, Janina Green, Fiona Hall, Carol Jerrems, Ruth Maddison, Penelope Malone, David Moore, George J Morris, Jozef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski, Susan Purdy, Jacky Redgate, Jon Rhodes, Michael Riley, Matthew Sleeth, Robyn Stacey, Mark Strizic, Unknown, Beverley Veasey, Anne Zahalka.
Photography 500:
Curate, Collect, Conserve
Join Photography 500 and create a powerful platform for us to showcase Australian photographers, acquire work of cultural significance and conserve MGA’s collection for future generations.
Help us raise $50,000 before 31 May 2019 and Creative Partnerships Australia through Plus1 will match it, doubling your gift and its impact.
Upcoming Events
Twilight Art in the Park
2 February 2019
4pm til late
The family friendly festival you’ve been waiting for all year is back. Join us from 4pm on Saturday 2 February for free art activities and workshops for kids and adults, live music and an outdoor twilight cinema screening of ‘The Greatest Showman’ under the stars in MGA’s picturesque sculpture park.
Friends of MGA Morning Coffee
with Dr Mae Anna Pang
18 February 2019
10am
A glimpse into the forbidden city, exhibitions from the Palace Museum, Beijing to the National Gallery of Victoria.
Dr. Mae Anna Pang will present an interactive talk giving insight into 3 international exhibitions of Asian Art held at the National Gallery of Victoria during her time as Senior Curator of Asian Art.
Special Event
Camera obscura experience
Saturday 2 March 12.30–3.30pm
Sunday 3 March 12.30–3.30pm
Can you imagine the world upside down? Clouds at your feet and cars passing overhead?
Join artist Robyn Stacey at Novotel Glen Waverley and step inside a room-sized camera.
Watch as the artist brings the outside in through the creation of a magical camera obscura, where the world moves in real-time around one of Novotel Glen Waverley’s beautiful suites.
This special event is generously supported by MGA Public Program Sponsor Novotel Glen Waverley.
Free activities for all the family
Want to create your own still lifes or add to the rabble of butterflies beginning to explode across MGA’s Atrium? We have free activities for all the family to enjoy over the summer.
Rabble of butterflies at MGA
Inspired by Robyn Stacey: as still as life MGA’s Atrium space has been turned into a lush green butterfly house. Amongst the hedges is a table full of materials with all you need to make your own beautiful paper butterfly to add to our rabble on display.
MGA’s still-life studio
Feel inspired and want to experiment with your own still lifes? The photo studio set up in the gallery space is brimming with props for you to style and shoot your own still-life masterpiece. Want to share your creations with us?
#as_still_as_stacey
mage captions:
Robyn STACEY
Fontaine de Vaucluse 2009
from the series Empire line
chromogenic print 120.0 x 169.5 cm
courtesy of the artist, Darren Knight Gallery (Sydney) and Jan Manton Gallery (Brisbane)
Robyn STACEY
Room 3601, Sofitel on Collins, Mr Hoey 2013
from the series Guest relations
chromogenic print 135.0 x 100.0 cm
Monash Gallery of Art, City of Monash Collection MGA 2014.002 courtesy of the artist, Darren Knight Gallery (Sydney) and Jan Manton Gallery (Brisbane)
