Responding to the social, environmental and economic impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic on Australian artists and society at large, MGA is commissioning five artists to produce work in response to their current experiences. Photographers image the spaces between us, whether physical or psychological, be it through portraits or landscapes, within the domestic sphere or the public realm. The significance of work and leisure routines and the liberty of everyday behaviours we take for granted is never better understood than when the right and ability to do them is taken away.

Our experience of a twenty-first century response, led by government, to this global pandemic is paradoxical. On the one hand we must work online and remain in the safe haven that is home, while on the other hand this shields us from the real world scenario of a pandemic that we construct via the constant mediation of news feeds. These circumstances of rapid change mark a paradigm shift in the way artists live and work. The STAGES commissions seek to enable their practice in a time of economic pressure and to creatively reflect on our path through the pandemic phenomenon in 2020.

STAGES: photography through the pandemic will see Jane Burton, Cherine Fahd, Isobel Knowles & Van Sowerwine, Phuong Ngo, and James Tylor respond creatively to the social, environmental and economic impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Curator: Anouska Phizacklea

UPDATE 12 August 2021: MGA is temporarily closed in line with government restrictions.

UPDATE 5 August 2021:MGA will close for seven days in line with government restrictions.

UPDATE 27 July 2021 We are pleased to announce that our gallery is open from Wednesday 28 July. Please BOOK HERE to guarantee entry on arrival. Walk-ins are welcome if capacity numbers allow. We ask all visitors (except those under 12-years-old and those with health exemptions) to wear a mask and to scan the QR code on arrival for contact tracing.

UPDATE 16 July 2021: Please note that MGA will be briefly closed due to Melbourne's lockdown. Our exhibitions will be closed and our weekend events postponed. We appreciate your continued support during this time and look forward to welcoming you back very soon.

UPDATE 18 June 2021: MGA is open. BOOK HERE to guarantee entry. Walk-ins are welcome if capacity numbers allow. We ask all visitors to wear a mask and to scan the QR code on arrival for contact tracing.

UPDATE 27 May 2021: MGA is closed due to recent restrictions and our scheduled exhibition dates have been delayed. This exhibition will now open to the public on Friday 4 June with the official launch event to be confirmed. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.