Come and see the real thing

THIS year marks the tenth anniversary of major arts and culture festival, the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, which has been painting the town yellow with its iconic branding since 2005.

Photographic exhibitions by new and established Australian and international artists will run from Saturday, 26 August to Sunday, 22 October in diverse venues, drawing visitors from across the country and the world.

“Delivering a creatively charged program for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale is a huge and exciting responsibility for our team of hardworking staff and volunteers,” said BIFB CEO Vanessa Gerrans.

“The 10th anniversary festival premise is The Real Thing and will be a dynamic view of modern life through the lens of local, national and international photographers, and how their images and the channels they use, shape us.”

Through portraiture, landscapes, and more, this theme is set to explore power, perspectives, and what’s truly “real” in the digital era of live streaming, fast shutter speeds, internet algorithms, artificial intelligence, and 24-hour media.

A statement from BIFB organisers said the 2023 program will unpack artists’ roles in shaping reality, or the unreal.

“The Real Thing is a journey through images from studios to street photography, surreal landscapes to the influencers of social media,” the statement said.

“It looks at the nature of photography as real or trickery, document or fantasy, and questions how distance and intimacy can influence the way we connect stories to create our view of modern life.

The 2023 Festival will explore these ideas in the formal and informal spaces of Ballarat using gallery spaces, laneways, natural landscapes, city streets, businesses and historical buildings to showcase works.”

The 60-day event is held every two years. The last pre-COVID BIFB in 2019 attracted more than 37,800 people, with 71 per cent of those travelling from outside Ballarat