To the Moon and Back
2019 | curated exhibition at the Ballarat astronomical observatory | part of the core program of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Australia | co-curated with Dr Colleen Boyle
To the Moon and Back examined the lasting impact of the 1969 lunar landing on contemporary culture through the lens of photographic media. Archival images were exhibited with artwork by contemporary international artists within the heritage-listed Ballarat Astronomical Observatory and Museum. The exhibition examined how different artistic approaches to processes and conceptions of photography might offer a more complex view of the Apollo 11 Moon landing beyond a celebration of national technological and ideological achievement. To reconfigure historical narratives, NASA’s own image archive was used to amplify under-represented narratives. From the collective documentation of the Moon, to the politics of colonisation and naming practices, to utopian visions of inhabiting the Moon — the exhibition examined multifaceted perspectives of our nearest celestial neighbour. These explorations incorporate various forms of image-making that include analogue processes, collage, digital 3D imaging, and screenshots of publicly available online material.
Participating artists:
Andrew Curtis
Vincent Fournier
Sharon Harper
Sasha Huber
Penelope Umbrico
Qicong Lin
Matt Lipps
Jorge Mañes Rubio
Andrew Curtis
Vincent Fournier
Sharon Harper
Sasha Huber
Penelope Umbrico
Qicong Lin
Matt Lipps
Jorge Mañes Rubio