Acknowledgement of Country

Presented by Photo Australia, Melbourne (www.photo.org.au) and Autograph, London (www.autograph.org.uk), PHOTO LIVE is a series of 10 online conversations between artists and curators from Australia and the UK that will explore ideas of identity and belonging in the context of human rights, representation and social justice. This program highlights the importance of centring black, Indigenous, feminist, queer and other marginalised voices and storytelling in photography.

The second talk in the series features British artist Ope Lori.

About the Artist

Ope Lori (b. 1984, London, UK) works across visual arts, activism and academia, using lens-based media to investigate politics of difference, often in relation to cultural and sexual identity. Her research-led practice, which includes writing as well as image-making, invites viewers to question power dynamics in both private and public spheres, routinely challenging societal stereotypes and myths. Lori is the author of the forthcoming book, Beyond the Feminine: The Politics of Skin Colour and Gender in Visual Representations (Bloomsbury, 2022) and the Director of PILAA (Pre-Image Learning And Action), an arts and diversity company that she founded in 2015. Her work has been exhibited at La Fondation Blachére, Apt; Santorini Biennale of the Arts (2012); 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, London; and Beaconsfield Gallery, London.

Photo Australia produces PHOTO International Festival of Photography in Melbourne and across regional Victoria. Delivered in collaboration with over 40 cultural institutions, museums, galleries and universities, the Festival features free exhibitions, outdoor displays and artist commissions, alongside events and education programs. The Festival invites artists, curators, writers, academics and audiences to interrogate the major issues of our time through a central theme. The theme for PHOTO 2022 is ‘Being Human’ and the Festival will run from 29 April to 22 May 2022.

Autograph ABP was founded in 1988 in London to support black photographic practices. Between 1988 and 2007, Autograph worked as an agency to initiate projects in gallery spaces, museums, at festivals or in public sites. It developed expertise in influencing policy and practice and was able to demonstrate alternative models of making and sharing creative work produced by artists from the UK and abroad. In 2007, Autograph applied for charitable status and moved to a purpose-built permanent home in Rivington Place, Shoreditch, which provides an important London showcase for its annual public exhibitions, a dedicated learning studio and a place to welcome the many institutions, informal groups and individuals with whom we make and share cultural projects.

1854 Media is a multi-award-winning digital media organisation with a global community including millions of photographers, arts lovers and international brands. Its portfolio includes British Journal of Photography, the world’s oldest photography title (est. 1854), and its awards are among the most viewed photographic exhibitions in history.