Palestinian photography explored in New South Wales

Associated media

‘Beyond the Last Sky’
Contemporary Palestinian Photography and Video
Free entry

Contemporary photography and video has given a new accessible voice to diverse Palestinian stories and in the process challenges media portrayals and undermines long-held stereotypes and popular understandings.

Around the world there is a growing recognition of contemporary Palestinian art practice, but this is the first exhibition in Australia dedicated to contemporary Palestinian photography and video. ‘Beyond the Last Sky’showcases the diversity of contemporary Palestinian art, whichhas increasingly moved away from documentary work to more experimental and innovativeforms.

The exhibition takes its name from the verse ‘where will the birds fly after the last sky’ in Mahmoud Darwish’s poem The Earth is Closing on Us and Edward Said’s book After the Last Sky, 1986. The exhibition has been curated as if it is the evolution of Said’s book, looking beyond documentary modes as an exploration and verification of Palestinian experience. ‘Beyond the Last Sky’explores the ways in which the use of critical humour in contemporary art offers a new expression of Palestinian culture, politics and identity.

Encouraging audiences to question and engage, ‘Beyond the Last Sky’ investigates the subversive potential of humour to challenge representational assumptions and clichés. The exhibition offers opportunities for audiences to gain new insight into the depth and breadth of Palestinian experience, inviting them to look at Palestine from an unconventional, playful and engaging perspective.

‘Beyond the Last Sky’has been created in a partnership between the Australian Centre for Photography and the National Institute for Experimental Arts (NIEA), College of Fine Arts (COFA), the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and is supported by Cultural Media.

Australian Centre for Photography
257 Oxford Street, Paddington
New South Wales 2021

Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, daily except public holidays. Admission free.

T+61 9332 0555 E [email protected]