Zo Damage
Folio of selected works
Bio
I am a Melbourne-based visual artist whose practice spans traditional and experimental analogue photography, digital imaging, printmaking, and installation. My research is grounded in a deep engagement with analogue processes as a means of exploring embodied aesthetic experiences. Through this lens, my work interrogates the assumed truth value of photographic representation and the constraints imposed by the frame, creating intersections between material presence and conceptual depth.
Over the past two decades, my work has been published in both print and digital media, and exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across local, regional, and state venues. My artworks are held in private collections in Australia and internationally, as well as in the permanent collections of State Library Victoria and Arts Centre Melbourne. The State Library Victoria also houses several of my published works in its holdings.
Preface
The artwork presented in this folio exclusively relies on commercially available analogue photographic technical equipment – such as cameras and enlargers – and black and white materials – including film, gelatin silver paper, and photo chemicals. I have created the work by hand without assistance or outsourcing any steps in their production. This constraints-based model intends to push the boundaries of my body, knowledge of craft, technical equipment and materials, exploiting process and product to not only reflect a concentration of reality and a shorthand of sensation but, most importantly, underscore that there are no absolute rules in photography. I still define my practice as photography because, despite pushing the limits of the medium, the materials and technical equipment I use are conventional tools of trade.
“Material world”, 2025, gelatin silver print, 70x410cm
“Material world” explores means of visualising what I feel as opposed to what I see. The highly detailed cracks and creases in the print, combined with the intricate layers of in-camera multi-exposed capture, reflect my perception of humanity. I struggle with social discomfort every day and I consider myself an emotional coward. That is my reality. But in the darkroom, I rise as a warrior.
“Reprieve”, 2025, gelatin silver print, 99x474cm
Embracing elements considered the antithesis of photography, I made “Reprieve” using a malfunctioning analogue camera, harnessing its light leaks and film slippage to enhance the narrative of the montage-like captures. My presence and intent are emphasised in the surface creases, uneven paper cuts, and erratic exposure of the handcrafted print. In an era dominated by the sleek aesthetics of AI-generated images, digital photography and screen-based viewing platforms, this work invites the viewer and myself, as its creator, to pause and engage with the chaotic beauty of life’s uncertainties.
“Perspective”, 2025, thirty-six 28x28cm gelatin silver prints (6 x Coburg North, 6 x Freeway, 6 x Marie, 6 x Parkville, 6 x Studley Park, 6 x Thomastown), cardboard, posca pen, tape, varnish, presented as a sculptural installation comprising six 28.5cm cubes. Installation variable.
Inspired by Townes Van Zandt’s song “Marie” and the dice game Yahtzee, which notably features no zero, “Perspective” comprises six cubes, each displaying the same six photographs. Two captures depict bridges, symbolising communication and transition. Two others show train tracks, representing life’s unpredictable journey. The final pair of images feature urban landscapes, each framed by a waterway that signifies change and the passage of time. The themes of displacement in Van Zandt’s lyrics parallel the experiences of those who find shelter under bridges and refuge on public transport. Designed to resemble dice, the cubes deliberately lack numbers, as there is no score to keep. Instead, the emphasis is on hope. All it takes is perspective and one roll.
“One” (polyptych), 2024, gelatin silver print, paper hand torn from continuous 30M roll/hand brushed to develop, 127x180cm overall
The theme of “One” is primarily a subject of material action, not of present consciousness or knowledge. Like much of my work, it seeks to demonstrate trust and the mutual exchange between myself and my materials, technical equipment and production methods, combining image capture with alternative darkroom practices to underscore that there are no absolute rules in photography. This approach allows me to begin from a blank slate. It grants me total freedom and frames artistic creation as an adventure, unfolding one step at a time.
“Possibilities” (polyptych), 2023, gelatin silver prints, paper hand torn from continuous 30M roll/hand brushed to develop, 127x700cm overall. Installation variable. Bowness Photography Prize Finalist, 2024
“Possibilities” explores the materiality of hand dependent analogue photographic techniques, highlighting the interwoven relationship between my body, mind, and life experiences as a critical component of my artistic journey. The nuanced and novel structures of the artwork converge to produce concentrations of worlds within worlds, embodying metaphors of hope and the promise of new beginnings.
“Truth”, 2023, panchromatic print, 76x1600cm. Installation variable
In “Truth”, a sequence of 35mm exposures is concealed beneath the veil of emulsion. These exposures are not visible because I intentionally destroyed them using unconventional darkroom techniques during the printing process. Stripped of photographic origins, the resulting chaotic structures emerge as a concentrated self-portrait that reflects my sense of self and my innermost truth.
“Trust”, 2022, gelatin silver print 110x1500cm, continuous sheet/hand brushed to develop. Installation view photo courtesy Jessica Curry, 2023. Bowness Photography Prize 2023 Finalist; Bowness Photography Prize Group Exhibition “Smith & Singer People’s Choice Award”
“Trust” explores hand-dependent analogue photographic techniques and installation methods to foster spontaneous and innovative outcomes that visually express aesthetic experiences. The print is highly articulated, emphasising its materiality. The dynamism of indexical gestures abstracts figuration while retaining expression, revealing atmospheric density and inviting new ways of seeing that might otherwise be overlooked. My goal with this work is to foster belief in, or ascension to, the reciprocal exchange and subsequent outcomes that transpire from the inextricably entwined relationship between myself and my creative practice.
“Respite” (polyptych), 2022, gelatin silver print, paper hand torn from continuous 30M roll/hand brushed to develop, 190x120cm overall
“Respite” uses experimental analogue photographic techniques to harness traditionally unwanted variation as valuable expressions of impermanence and the inferred passage of time. Created during an anxiety attack, the work highlights the darkroom as a safe space where I can lean into the chaos and turmoil of my mental health, ultimately finding a sense of respite through my creative process.
“Wave wall”, 2022, gelatin silver print (5 photograms, 127x64cm each), gaff tape, paper hand cut from continuous 30M roll/hand brushed to develop, 600x64cm overall. Installation variable
“Wave wall” is an experimental exploration of installation and scale, repurposing photograms from a past project. It invites viewers to question the unexpected associations between the artwork and its spatial setting, as well as the relationship between myself as the artist and the aesthetic object. This work became the catalyst for my practice-led research, challenging the theoretical, practical, and aesthetic conventions of photography. It seeks to situate modes of analogue photography within the ecology of embodied art as a visual language of sensory perception and existence in the world.
“Essence” 2021, twelve photo screen prints on 2x600x800mm acetate discs. Installation view Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2021, Ballarat Conservatory, Ballarat Botanical Gardens 2021-2022. Installation variable. Photo courtesy Steven Boxshall, 2021
“Essence” showcases a collection of abstracted photographic portraits of Melbourne musicians, created using analogue techniques and realised as twelve hand-screen printed oval acetate discs. The discs are suspended on nylon cables from rafters, allowing them to move in response to the spatial elements. This movement, combined with their transparent and reflective qualities, means that the installation can never be viewed the same way twice. Ultimately, the installation facilitates a dynamic interplay between the observer, the artwork, and the spatial environment, embodying the unrepeatable, synthesised, real-time, live music experience for both performers and fans. The musicians involved in this project bring diverse backgrounds, enriching the themes and topics explored within the installation from the perspective of the live music creative sector.