About

Acclaimed Melbourne live music photographer Zo Gay, better known as Zo Damage, has been documenting the underground live music scene for over a decade.

Zo’s dense catalogue presents the scene in a way that is emotionally honest and captures the rawness of live performance. With a number of solo exhibitions under her belt including The Damage Report / 365 Project, The Damage Report Vol I, Clan, Seed, Ride, Roar, Reach, Drive, Eve, Proof and Grit, Zo has also curated a number of group exhibitions working with artists and photographers including the Rennie Ellis Estate, Ponch Hawkes, Carol Porter, Philip Morris and Paul Pirie.

The store

In July 2018 Zo Damage opened a bricks and mortar store nestled in the heart of the historic Queen Victoria Market. Zo Damage @ QVM celebrates Australian live music culture offering original photographic prints and products, Australian underground and independent vinyl releases, art and illustrative work by local artists and in-store live music performances for Zo Damage Market Sessions.

365 in brief

On 25 February 2016 [Leap Year*], Melbourne photographer Zo Damage committed to photographing a live band or more every day for a full year with her 365 Day Project.

The project explores and documents 366* consecutive days of live music and music culture, Zo’s unique and insightful outlook sharing a rich narrative of diversity, art and community. Zo successfully completed her unprecedented 365 Day Project on 24 February 2017.

In August 2017 Zo released her 365 Day Project book, The Damage Report. The Zo Damage 365 Day Project exhibitions showed at The Old Bar Gallery, Arts Centre Melbourne (sold out event), Bib’n’Brace Collective in Brisbane and Nanda\Hobbs in Sydney.

Awards

In November 2017 Zo Damage was presented with The Age Music Victoria Awards Outstanding Achievement Award for her 365 Day Project and book The Damage Report. A year later, in November 2018, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp presented Zo with the QVM Trader Awards Services to the Community Award.

Seriously huge

The Australian Music Vault launched in December 2017 at Arts Centre Melbourne. SLAM Rally [II] by Zo Damage features as a signature piece in the historic collection.