The Photograph and Australia

Overview

For those of us who don't remember what photography looked like before the selfie, the Art Gallery of NSW is giving us a reminder in the most beautiful of ways. The gallery's newest exhibition, the brainchild of senior curator of photographs Judy Annear, turns the camera lens back onto itself to explore how photography, as a medium, has shaped and influenced the identity of Australia.

The Photograph and Australia will be the biggest exhibition of Australian photography seen in 25 years, showcasing more than 400 photos taken by more than 120 artists around the country and dating back to the 1840s. Work by big wigs Morton Allport, Richard Daintree and Olive Cotton (just to name a few) will sit side by side with the photos of lesser known artists as well as cool pieces of photographic history such as domestic albums and some of Australia's earliest X-rays.

From daguerreotypes to digital, this exhibition explores the evolution of photography and the development of a nation with a beautiful collection that celebrates them both. It's like the picture book of Australian history we never saw.