This exhibition presents two contrasting yet interconnected visual stories. It provides a surreal setting to reflect on themes of identity, reminiscence, and the ever-shifting nature of space and time through the lens of urban environments.
Francis Cai’s latest photography and installation series, Avalon: A Moment in Nowhere, contrasts imposing images with gentle retrospection, symbolising the emotional undercurrents beneath the decisive moments of the artist’s memory. The gyrating flow of images entwined with the passage of time and space encompasses profound emotions of its own. Cai hand-processed and digitally remastered analogue images captured during his New York City artist residency in winter 2023. He travelled far and wide, reimagining Americana from a fresh perspective, exploring its diverse landscape, pluralistic culture, and unique politics through the surrealistic lenses of an Australasia-educated young artist from Shanghai.
Francis Cai, Fata Morgana, 2023, archival inkjet print
Zinnia Lo’s fine art photography exhibition, On the Loose, offers a witty and thought-provoking exploration of women’s roles throughout history and their enduring efforts to transcend societal constraints and chase their dreams. Armed with her Leica camera, Lo travels to Paris and New York City, capturing subtle and striking visual narratives that reveal the pressures of social expectations on women. Using these cities’ iconic, historic architecture as metaphors, she examines the systemic and structural forces shaping gender roles and human experience. Through this series, Lo reimagines women beyond the confines of
domesticity, reproduction, and ornamental value, envisioning a world where they are heard, innovative, and boldly adventurous.
Zinnia Lo, In the Name of Love, 2024, archival inkjet print
The Shop Gallery
6 to 19 March 2025
Sydney
