Goya Dmytryshchak
The Substation arts venue at Newport this week reopens for the first time since last March with two major exhibitions.
Large-scale photographs by Gustavo Germano were last Friday installed outside the building, while an exhibition by Amos Gebardt opens this Friday.
The Substation artistic director Brad Spolding said the past 11 months had been testing.
“The Substation closed in March 2020 in line with public health directions, and like many arts and cultural organisations it has been an incredibly challenging year,“ he said.
“The Substation commonly self generates significant income for the organisation and the local area, all of which stopped.“
The exhibitions are part of the inaugural PHOTO 2021 international photography festival, featuring 120 artists across more than 40 cultural institutions, museums and galleries across Melbourne.
“On our billboards, Barcelona-based photographer Gustavo Germano shows his personal portraits for commuters travelling through Newport station,“ Mr Spolding said.
“Inside, taking over our entire building, Amos Gebhardt presents a free exhibition, Spooky Action (at a distance).
“Featuring large-scale video art and photography, the show centres on identity, queerness and resistance.
“Our staff and the artist have been working on these exhibitions for more than a year and being part of a city-wide festival with PHOTO 2021 is an excellent way for us to welcome our audience back.
“We bring the best local and national contemporary art to local people through our program and can’t wait for them to experience what we have planned.
“Over the coming weeks and months, we will be announcing more of our program and are working hard behind the scenes to present new and engaging artistic work to our local audience and neighbours across Hobsons Bay.
“We are genuinely excited to see audiences experience arts and culture again for the first time.“
Amos Gebhardt’s Spooky Action (at a distance) runs from February 12 to March 27 at The Substation, 1 Market Street, Newport.
