‘The Theatre is Lying’ presented by the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) until 24 March is first in a series of Macfarlane Commissions, support which will roll out over the next six years with five mid-career Australian and international artists invited to make a new large-scale work for the gallery.

Matthew Griffin, The outernet, 2018, two channel, high definition digital video, 33:34 mins. Photograph: Andrew Curtis. Courtesy the artist and Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
This show summons an alternate reality through theatrical and cinematic techniques as ACCA states, to reflect ‘the everyday reality of our fictive life and times.’ Curated by Max Delany and Annika Kristensen ‘The Theatre is Lying’ explores the representations and misrepresentations of cinema and media with new work from Anna Breckon & Nat Randall, Sol Calero, Consuelo Cavaniglia, Matthew Griffin and Daniel Jenatsch.
A 90-minute film Rear View (2018) shot in a single take, features the exchanges between Randall and co-star Linda Chen reflecting the gamut of filmic tropes of women riding in cars. Jenatsch is interested in conspiracy, his video installation focuses on the aesthetic and narrative intersections of both fictional and real spy stories. Also dealing in illusion, Calero creates avatar worlds to consider Latin identity and the diasporic experience.
Cavaniglia installs multiple screens to evoke a phantasmagoria effect, where as Matthew Griffin uses video to walk the fine line between humour and tragedy, in this era where ‘fake news’, virtual reality and reality TV are prevalent.