‘A Family Album’ presents a collage of contemporary Australian communities. Through painting, photography, textiles and video works, the featured artists illustrate the myriad experiences that bring families together and pull them apart.
Featuring family units that cross generations, landscapes, cultures and communities, this exhibition reveals the love, pain, joy and shared environments that render these bonds significant.
Tender, contemplative and humorous, ‘A Family Album’ invites you on an emotional journey that illuminates the human comfort we seek in each other through the families we have and the families we create.
Featuring: Donna Bailey, Julie Dowling, Hannah Gartside, Pia Johnson, Hoang Tran Nguyen and Selina Ou.
‘A Family Album’ is a group exhibition on display at Town Hall Gallery Saturday 31 October to Sunday 13 December 2020.
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Works by the artists
Browse the exhibition by scrolling through the image carousel below.
Julie DOWLING, Didn't You Know You Were Aboriginal? (2004), acrylic and red ochre on canvas, 120 x 150cm (unframed). Private collection, Perth. Photo by Simon Cowling.
Using art as a tool and language for cultural regeneration and empowerment, Badimaya First Nation artist and activist Julie Dowling depicts known and unknown figures she finds in photographs, to reclaim them for their communities. Applying a diverse range of European and Aboriginal artistic traditions, religious iconography and symbolism, the artist conveys injustices affecting Aboriginal communities, including racism and generational trauma, as well as resilience and self-determination, and the particular experience of living life as a twin and also as a fair-skinned First Nation person.
Illustrating intimate family gatherings, portraits of herself and her ancestors, and children of the Stolen Generations, Dowling’s powerful social realist paintings record, re-tell, and celebrate Aboriginal survival. Painted from a photograph taken at a small family reunion at Dowling’s grandmother’s house, Didn’t you know you were Aboriginal? depicts the moment when the four-year old artist and her sister learnt of their Aboriginal heritage.
Using art as a tool and language for cultural regeneration and empowerment, Badimaya First Nation artist and activist Julie Dowling depicts known and unknown figures she finds in photographs, to reclaim them for their communities. Applying a diverse range of European and Aboriginal artistic traditions, religious iconography and symbolism, the artist conveys injustices affecting Aboriginal communities, including racism and generational trauma, as well as resilience and self-determination, and the particular experience of living life as a twin and also as a fair-skinned First Nation person.
Illustrating intimate family gatherings, portraits of herself and her ancestors, and children of the Stolen Generations, Dowling’s powerful social realist paintings record, re-tell, and celebrate Aboriginal survival. Painted from a photograph taken at a small family reunion at Dowling’s grandmother’s house, Didn’t you know you were Aboriginal? depicts the moment when the four-year old artist and her sister learnt of their Aboriginal heritage.
Hoang Tran NGUYEN, Seven Years of Happiness (2011), video still. Image courtesy of the artist.
Seven Years of Happiness is a celebration of a love story, told through the remaking of a boat from memory. Through two karaoke-style videos set to the sound of a classic ‘Aussie’ anthem, we learn of Nang and Le’s separation and resettlement to Australia through their exchange of love letters. Celebrating and exploring the diversity of cultural translation, Nguyen’s video practice examines the role of karaoke within the Vietnamese diaspora.
Seven Years of Happiness is a celebration of a love story, told through the remaking of a boat from memory. Through two karaoke-style videos set to the sound of a classic ‘Aussie’ anthem, we learn of Nang and Le’s separation and resettlement to Australia through their exchange of love letters. Celebrating and exploring the diversity of cultural translation, Nguyen’s video practice examines the role of karaoke within the Vietnamese diaspora.
Hoang Tran NGUYEN, Seven Years of Happiness (2011), video still. Image courtesy of the artist.
Hoang Tran NGUYEN, Seven Years of Happiness (2011), video still. Image courtesy of the artist.
Hoang Tran NGUYEN, Seven Years of Happiness (2011), video still. Image courtesy of the artist.
Hoang Tran NGUYEN, Seven Years of Happiness (2011), video still. Image courtesy of the artist.
Hoang Tran NGUYEN, Seven Years of Happiness (2011), video still. Image courtesy of the artist.
Hoang Tran NGUYEN, Seven Years of Happiness (2011), video still. Image courtesy of the artist.
Selina OU, The Pilot’s Family (2003), c type photograph, 100 x 11 cm. Town Hall Gallery Collection.
Selina Ou’s photographs are social snapshots of a particular time in Australian contemporary culture. Embodied with a documentary aesthetic, ‘The Pilot’s Family’ belongs to a series titled ‘Work’ which surveys our relationship to community defined roles, such as the postman and the policeman. The subtext of these images is ‘are we more than what we do?’
This image is constructed like a tableau: the subject poses with his wife and children within their family kitchen; dressed in uniform, the pilot holds a model airplane and has a suitcase nearby. Created in 2003, this photograph marks a time before the airline industry was impacted the COVID-19 pandemic. While the fleets are grounded, the industry and workers are forced to reimagine their future.
Selina Ou’s photographs are social snapshots of a particular time in Australian contemporary culture. Embodied with a documentary aesthetic, ‘The Pilot’s Family’ belongs to a series titled ‘Work’ which surveys our relationship to community defined roles, such as the postman and the policeman. The subtext of these images is ‘are we more than what we do?’
This image is constructed like a tableau: the subject poses with his wife and children within their family kitchen; dressed in uniform, the pilot holds a model airplane and has a suitcase nearby. Created in 2003, this photograph marks a time before the airline industry was impacted the COVID-19 pandemic. While the fleets are grounded, the industry and workers are forced to reimagine their future.
Selina OU, Untitled #3 (2010), chromogenic photograph, 60 x 40cm. Town Hall Gallery Collection. Image courtesy of the artist.
Exploring the innate human need to belong, support and find solace in others, Selina Ou’s Embrace series embodies the process of surrendering to the many concurrent emotions of grief whilst supporting those around you. Made in response to losing a family member and another living with a serious health condition, each photograph features two figures intertwined in each other’s arms. Expressing ideas of intimacy, co-dependency, vulnerability, strength and resilience, Embrace illustrates the transformative process of grief and the profound practice of care.
Exploring the innate human need to belong, support and find solace in others, Selina Ou’s Embrace series embodies the process of surrendering to the many concurrent emotions of grief whilst supporting those around you. Made in response to losing a family member and another living with a serious health condition, each photograph features two figures intertwined in each other’s arms. Expressing ideas of intimacy, co-dependency, vulnerability, strength and resilience, Embrace illustrates the transformative process of grief and the profound practice of care.
Selina OU, Untitled #4 (2010), chromogenic photograph, 60 x 40cm. Town Hall Gallery Collection. Image courtesy of the artist.
Selina OU, Untitled #6 (2010), chromogenic photograph, 60 x 40cm. Town Hall Gallery Collection. Image courtesy of the artist.
Pia JOHNSON, Family Portrait Wall from Por Por's House series (2014), archival inkjet print, dimensions variable, image courtesy of the artist.
Exploring issues of cultural difference, diaspora, identity and performance, Pia Johnson’s practice stems from her Chinese and Italian-Australian lineage. The artist photographs family environments, archives and photo albums, to examine where cultural and social routines intersect with the intimate textures of individual lives. Johnson presents Por Por’s House and Remembering Por Por, two photo series that journey through the home of her maternal grandparents who immigrated to Australia in the 1970s. For the artist, this house is a place where her cultural blend comes into focus.
Exploring issues of cultural difference, diaspora, identity and performance, Pia Johnson’s practice stems from her Chinese and Italian-Australian lineage. The artist photographs family environments, archives and photo albums, to examine where cultural and social routines intersect with the intimate textures of individual lives. Johnson presents Por Por’s House and Remembering Por Por, two photo series that journey through the home of her maternal grandparents who immigrated to Australia in the 1970s. For the artist, this house is a place where her cultural blend comes into focus.
Pia JOHNSON, Bookcase from Por Por's House series (2014), archival inkjet print, dimensions variable, image courtesy of the artist.
Pia JOHNSON, Kitchen Wall from Por Por's House series (2014), archival inkjet print, dimensions variable, image courtesy of the artist.
Pia JOHNSON, Photo Wall from Por Por's House series (2014), archival inkjet print, dimensions variable, image courtesy of the artist.
Pia JOHNSON, Por Por from Por Por's House series (2014), archival inkjet print, dimensions variable, image courtesy of the artist.
Pia JOHNSON, Por Por’s Trolley from Por Por's House series (2014), archival inkjet print, dimensions variable, image courtesy of the artist.
Donna BAILEY, Ada at Ten (2017), C-type print, 90 x 120cm. Image courtesy of the artist.
Donna Bailey’s richly saturated, hand-printed photographs explore representations of the young subject and themes of belonging and place. The artist has been photographing her children, grandchildren, and extended family for over twenty years. Using a long form documentary style, Bailey records ongoing dialogues with her subjects, exploring childhood, masculinity, fertility, and the maternal relationship. The backdrop for Bailey’s practice is the site of her family home at Kangaroo Flat, a lush and undulating bushland near Bendigo, also marred by past gold mining practices, seasonal drought and flood.
Donna Bailey’s richly saturated, hand-printed photographs explore representations of the young subject and themes of belonging and place. The artist has been photographing her children, grandchildren, and extended family for over twenty years. Using a long form documentary style, Bailey records ongoing dialogues with her subjects, exploring childhood, masculinity, fertility, and the maternal relationship. The backdrop for Bailey’s practice is the site of her family home at Kangaroo Flat, a lush and undulating bushland near Bendigo, also marred by past gold mining practices, seasonal drought and flood.
Donna BAILEY, Phoebe in Pink (2017). Image courtesy of the artist.
Donna BAILEY, Boys (2003). Image courtesy of the artist.
Donna BAILEY, Tom as Big Brother (2004). Image courtesy of the artist.
Donna BAILEY, Alice and Ada (2007). Image courtesy of the artist.
Donna BAILEY, Permanent Creek (2017). Image courtesy of the artist.
Donna BAILEY, Gully (2020). Image courtesy of the artist.
Exhibition photography
Browse the exhibition by scrolling through the image carousel below.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Selina OU, Untitled #3, Untitled #4 and Untitled #6 from ‘Embrace’ series (2010), chromogenic photograph, 60 x 40 cm each. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Julie DOWLING, Didn't You Know You Were Aboriginal? (2004), acrylic and red ochre on canvas, 120 x 150cm (unframed). Private collection, Perth. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Hannah GARTSIDE, For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Hannah GARTSIDE, detail from For Tim Gartside (1955-2008), (2019-2020), found paper bags, glue, found curtain and chair (from the artist's family home), wood, hessian, foam, wood stain, varnish, silk organza fabric, found fabrics (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), thread, curtain heading tape, framed photograph of the artist's parents c. 1990, 660 x 630 x 307 cm. Photograph by Christian Capurro.
Pia JOHNSON, still from Becoming Por Por (after Beckett’s Not I) (2018/2020), 2-channel video (shorter edit), 2.37 minutes. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Pia JOHNSON, Highlights from ‘Por Por's House’ series and ‘Remembering Por Por’ series, (2014/2020), C-type photographic print on Phototex, dimensions variable. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Donna BAILEY, Ada at Ten (2017), C-type print, 100 x 145 cm. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.
Installation view of ‘A Family Album’ at Town Hall Gallery, November 2020. Photograph by Pia Johnson.