Michael Riley: sights unseen

> 16 November 2006 to 25 February 2007

Michael Riley (1960-2004) was one of the most important contemporary Indigenous visual artists of the past two decades. His contribution to the contemporary Indigenous and broader Australian visual arts industry was substantial and his film and video work challenged non-Indigenous perceptions of Indigenous experience, particularly among the most disenfranchised communities in the eastern region of Australia.

Michael Riley: sights unseen will reveal the prolific talents of a quiet observer whose photomedia, video and film continues to have a profound effect on Australia’s contemporary representation and comprehension of Indigenous Australia. The exhibition will draw together a comprehensive body of work, charting the vision and experience of one of the country’s most significant visual artists, chronicling a period of intense cultural development and achievement.

This special exhibition will not only profile Riley’s most recognised photomedia, films and video work, but will also present some images previously unseen in the public domain.

A NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA TOURING EXHIBITION

Community Spirit: Michael Coyne

> 16 NOVEMBER 2006 to 25 FEBRUARY 2007

Internationally renowned photographer Michael Coyne has captured wars, revolutions and significant international events in a career spanning over 30 years.

After documenting people living in villages in different countries around the world, Coyne was interested in capturing the essence of an Australian country town that was big enough to be independent yet small enough for everyone to know their neighbour. After significant research, Coyne decided to document Numurkah, a town with a population of 5,000 in northern Victoria.

In Numurkah, Lakes and Roses, Coyne explores the multifaceted concept of 'community' with its sense of place and belonging, identity, participation, fellowship and its gatherings and traditional events.

From the main street to the family lounge room, from the debutante and B&S balls to the sporting ground and the agricultural show, Coyne has captured a candid portrait of daily life in this rural town nestled between Shepparton and Cobram.

Traces of Memory: Julie Millowick

> 25 August to 12 November 2006

In Traces of Memory, photographer Julie Millowick explores the botanical footprints left by people who settled in central Victoria both during and after the gold rush.

In this seductive exhibition, Millowick uses techniques from the very infancy of the photographic medium - cyanotype and gelatin silver photogram. Film is not used. A camera is not used. Each image is unique and cannot be reproduced.

William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize

> 25 August to 12 November 2006

The MGA is proud to present the inaugural William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize and exhibition. This annual Prize has been initiated by Mr Bill Bowness in honour of his late parents. Mr Bowness is the Chairman of the MGA Committee of Management - a position which he has held for the past seven years.

The most outstanding work, as judged by a selection panel, will be awarded a non-acquisitive cash prize of $10,000.

The Prize and special exhibition of works by Australia’s emerging and mid-career photoartists will provide an opportunity to engage with some of the most interesting contemporary work produced over the past year.

The Passing of Light: Emmanuel Santos

> 25 August to 12 November 2006

Drawing inspiration from the Renaissance period, Melbourne-based photographer Emmanuel Santos presents an illuminating and theatrical series of angels and biblical visions.

To Buy a Fat Pig: Tim Webster

> 23 June to 20 August 2006

To tell the story of the Queen Victoria Market is to tell the story of Melbourne. In this unique exhibition, photojournalist and documentary photographer, Tim Webster presents an authentic insight into the vibrant, thriving, cosmopolitan emporium that is the Queen Victoria Market.

Featuring 40 colour photographs, To Buy a Fat Pig authentically captures the rhythms, smells, tastes, sights, sounds and numerous stories of Melbourne's landmark shopping mecca.

The MGA is delighted to be the first venue to exhibit To Buy a Fat Pig before it tours across Victoria.

PROFESSIONAL ARTS SERVICES PRESENTS

The New Alchemists:
New Zealand National Art Awards for Artworks in Reclaimed Materials

> 23 June to 20 August 2006

Plastic pill bottles that form a crucible, shopping bags rolled into balls or shredded and knitted into brochures, illuminated china teacups and twirling ballerinas...

This touring awards exhibition of 38 artworks by New Zealand artists using reclaimed materials offers an opportunity for art practitioners and the public to engage in critical debate about issues vital in the 21 st Century.

Historically, through processes combining art and early scientific practice, 16th Century alchemists attempted to turn base metals into gold and to discover the secret of eternal life.

The focus for The New Alchemists in the 21 st century is not, however, the creation of personal wealth and health. Instead, their work with base (devalued) materials is in search of a new creativity, one which challenges the cultural and aesthetic status quo, and in so doing provides critical commentary on aspects of contemporary life.

By animating discarded materials, imbuing them with new life through the application of an idea, The New Alchemists present the familiar in a totally new way.

Quirky, innovative and whimsical, the works in The New Alchemists nonetheless raise uncomfortable questions about cultural values and the serious problem of waste overproduction as the planet moves through the first decade of the 21st Century.

Matthew Sleeth: Pictured

> 23 June to 20 August 2006

MGA is proud to be the first venue to present Pictured, the new series of work by one of Australia's foremost contemporary photographers, Matthew Sleeth.

This exhibition is about how we write our (visual) personal histories. By representing the act of photographing and being photographed, Pictured looks at what we choose to remember and celebrate about our lives in addition to how we wish to present ourselves.

Pictured is also a study of the way vernacular photography is practiced as a social rite and how people mediate direct experience via the act of taking pictures. Digital and phone cameras are now constant companions and with immediate results every experience can now be fully documented - the act of documenting has itself almost become the primary leisure activity.