AHALKAWORLD – an artist’s archive

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ZAHALKAWORLD – an artist’s archive brings together key bodies of work from Zahalka’s renowned photographic practice. Spanning more than 40 years, the exhibition at NAS Gallery sees over 100 works from 15 different photographic series, alongside collected ephemera from her studio and archive. 

First exhibited at the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) in 2023, Anne Zahalka worked closely with the National Art School to include six artworks from their collection, alongside five new works created between 2023–2024. 

Following the NAS iteration, ZAHALKAWORLD – an artist’s archive will commence a national tour, with further details to be announced.

One of Australia's most renowned contemporary artists working in photography, Zahalka has held more than 40 solo exhibitions in Australia and overseas, and her works are held in major national and international collections including National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, and National Art Gallery, Wellington. 

Through her work Zahalka explores and interrogates cultural and environmental points of tension through both a critical and humorous lens. Known for images that deconstruct and re-represent familiar scenes, including references to art history, Zahalka proposes alternatives to dominant narratives, often reflecting upon cultural diversity within Australian society and the ecological impact of the global climate crisis. 

Centred on the artist’s archive, ZAHALKAWORLD features key bodies of work from Zahalka’s practice including Bondi: Playground of the Pacific, The Landscape Re-presented, Resemblance and Resemblance II, Wild Life, Wild Life Australia, Open House and Hotel Suite. 

An exhibition highlight, Kunstkammer, sees an immersive life-sized recreation of the artist's studio within the gallery space, filled with collected treasures from Zahalka’s extensive archive. The installation invites audiences behind the scenes on her creative process, providing a personal insight into what informs and inspires her work, and an opportunity to explore the illusionary worlds for which she is renowned. At select times throughout the exhibition, visitors are able to book one-on-one artist talks via a laptop inside the space, with Zahalka joining from her home-studio. Zahalka was awarded the Bowness Photography Prize 2023 for Kunstkammer, with the work acquired into the Museum of Australian Photography's nationally significant collection of Australian photographs.

The exhibition is accompanied by a 210-page catalogue produced by the Museum of Australian Photography. 

Steven Alderton, CEO, National Art School, said: “Anne Zahalka has a long connection to the National Art School. After studying at NAS in 1978, she was a photo-media teacher during the 1980s. Since then she has gone on to become one of the most prominent artists working in photography today and we are thrilled to present her major survey exhibition to our visitors and students.”Anne Zahalka said: “I am thrilled to present this major survey at the National Art School in Sydney in my hometown. Curated around key photographic series and the archive that supports it, this immersive exhibition offers a first-hand experience of how I develop artworks, the research and material processes that are involved, and the context the works are made in.”

PUBLIC PROGRAM

As part of ZAHALKAWORLD: an artist’s archive the National Art School will be hosting a series of public programs including:

In Conversation | Anne Zahalka With Anouska Phizacklea, Director, Museum Of Australian Photography

Anouska Phizacklea, Director of the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) will join acclaimed Australian artist Anne Zahalka to discuss the artist’s career spanning four decades, the survey exhibition, and key themes explored within Zahalka’s practice, on Saturday 17 August, 2–3pm. 

The Artist Is Present

A special opportunity for small groups of gallery visitors (individual bookings possible) to speak with the artist Anne Zahalka directly and find out more about her work. Visitors will be able to video call Zahalka from the ‘Kunstkammer’ recreation of her studio in the gallery space, with Zahalka joining directly from her studio in Newtown. The 15 minute sessions will be available on Thursday 29 August, Thursday 5 September, and Thursday 12 September.