Being of Light

Solo Exhibition

1 Oct

Zo Damage, Being of Light installation view, Fitzroy Public Gallery, Fitzroy, 2025

Solo Exhibition

Being of Light
October 15-21, 2025
Fitzroy Public Gallery, Fitzroy

"Being of Light" presents a visual narrative of urban living in a series of framed, unframed and sculptural interactive handcrafted analogue photographic works on paper. The project draws on Zo’s ongoing analogue photographic series "Bike Paths of Melbourne", captured while cycling through Melbourne's inner city suburbs, where the pristine wetlands of the Merri Creek Trail and Yarra City Trail are juxtaposed with the urban landscape and industrial grime of Melbourne's inner-north and north-west.

The exhibition encourages the viewer to engage with the real-time unfolding of thoughts, actions, emotions, and sensations, triggered by a potentially transformative artistic expression of the work. Its title draws on the Hegelian conceptualisation of "Wesen" (essence or substance), which defines Being as the interplay of light and darkness, the contrast of which reflects the very nature of existence. Through this dynamic relationship, the work—created in the darkroom and brought to life in light—explores the complexities of human existence and our individual and collective interaction with urban landscapes and communities.

By deconstructing and reconstructing the photographic process, this body of work challenges traditional notions of representational truth in photography, revealing a deeply subjective interpretation of the world. The exhibition also features sculptural photographic pieces designed as puzzles, inviting participants to engage in play. This hands-on experience aims to encourage reflection on the impact individuals have on each other and the environment, further highlighting the essential role of restoring and preserving inner-city waterways and parklands in fostering connections among diverse communities and cultures.This project has been made possible by the generous support Yarra City Council, C.R. Kennedy & Company and Ilford Australia.

The Puzzle

Blending visual art with interactive engagement, the signature piece of the exhibition is a six-sided block puzzle featuring a distinct gelatin silver print of Melbourne's parklands on each face. Inspired by the environmental vision of contemporary photographers David Tatnall and Ian Lobb (1948-2023), along with the Modernist lens master Minor White (1908-1976), this work aims to highlight the important role we each play in shaping the urban landscape. By reassembling what may initially appear as fragmented elements into a cohesive whole, the puzzle emphasises the complexity of our individual and collective contributions to achieving and maintaining the health and sustainability of our natural surroundings and communities. Handcrafted with care in the darkroom, this puzzle project represents the most challenging and rewarding creative endeavor I have pursued to date. I warmly invite you to experience and engage with it at the exhibition.