A Conversation with Elias Redstone about the exhibition <em>On Country: Photography from Australia</em> — Contemporary Australian Photography

A Conversation with Elias Redstone about the exhibition On Country: Photography from Australia — Contemporary Australian Photography

On the occasion of the exhibition On Country: Photography from Australia, which will be presented at the Rencontres de la photographie d'Arles starting July 7, 2025, the MEP invites Elias Redstone, one of the Curators of the exhibition and the Founder and Artistic Director of PHOTO Australia/PHOTO International Festival of Photography in Melbourne/Naarm, for a discussion about this exhibition and the contemporary Australian art scene. He will be in conversation with Clothilde Morette, Artistic Director of the MEP.

Auditorium

Entry subject to availability. Reservation recommended but not required.

The event ticket also gives access to the exhibitions.

Open to all.

This event will be held in English.

This event will highlight how photography is being redefined in Australia, as a medium for truth telling, self-determination and collaboration, both acknowledging the past and suggesting possible futures.

Australia has a complex history that is underpinned by over 60,000 years of continuous and unceded First Peoples connection, and over two centuries of colonisation. The exhibition On Country: Photography from Australia brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists who explore the visible and invisible aspects of being on ‘Country’ – a term embodied by First Peoples in Australia to describe the lands, waterways, seas and cosmos to which they are connected.

Elias Redstone will provide a preview of the exhibition — the first-ever focus on Australia at the festival. He will specifically highlight the work of five artists from the exhibition, offering a deeper understanding of their creations and artistic approaches. In conversation with Clothilde Morette, he will reflect on the key themes of the exhibition.

This event will also provide an opportunity to discover PHOTO Australia’s festival, exploring its origins and unique features. Elias Redstone will speak for the first time in France about his work as the Artistic Director of the festival and will offer a preview of what to expect at PHOTO 2026.

Find the exhibition catalogue Our Country: Photography from Australia online soon.
Explore the Photo Australia website, Instagram, and Facebook accounts.

Cover Image:  Tony Albert, David Charles Collins and Kieran Lawson, Warakurna Superheroes #1, 2017. Courtesy the artists and Sullivan + Strumpf.

Speakers

© Will Hamilton-Coates

Elias Redstone

Elias Redstone is the Founder and Artistic Director of PHOTO Australia and PHOTO International Festival of Photography in Melbourne, a biennial event that has been viewed by over a half a million people across its first three editions (PHOTO 2021, 2022, and 2024).

Elias has initiated international partnerships to connect Australian photography with global audiences, including collaborations with The Photographers’ Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. He is co-curating On Country: Photography from Australia for the Rencontres d’Arles 2025 — the first major focus on Australia at the festival — featuring 17 Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and collectives. He also oversaw the curation of Trent Mitchell: Australian Lustre, currently on view at the Australian Embassy in Paris until October 2025.

Prior to launching PHOTO Australia, Elias curated Constructing Worlds at the Barbican Art Gallery, London, and authored Shooting Space: Architecture in Contemporary Photography, published by Phaidon.

Explore the artist’s Instagram account.

© Mathieu Meyer

Clothilde Morette

Clothilde Morette is Artistic Director of the MEP.

Partners

PHOTO Australia champions Australian photography on the world stage. Every two years, it organizes PHOTO, a free international festival that transforms Melbourne/Naarm with outdoor exhibitions, gallery shows, screenings, tours, and events.

Since 2021, the festival editions have showcased over 400 artists and attracted more than 500,000 visitors. The next edition, PHOTO 2026, will take place from March 6 to 29, 2026.

PHOTO Australia actively supports the creation, dissemination, and professional development of artists, while building international partnerships to help Australian photography gain worldwide recognition.

The Season