Oculi presents ACTS I-VII, a visual meditation on seven modes of being. Reformulating the ‘Seven Year Life Stages’, a concept of human development introduced by philosopher Rudolph Steiner in 1907, this exhibition explores seven universal experiences that lie at the heart of our existence: love and fear, trauma and grief, freedom and oppression, control and uncertainty, belonging and exclusion, science and spirit, life and death.

Featuring new and existing work from its members – some unseen, some revisited and some in collaboration with the Benalla community – ACTS I-VII marks Oculi’s third decade as a photography collective. The presented projects, interwoven with reflections from the artists about their work and process, reveal a group considering its roles, responsibilities, archives and desires amidst two years of social and environmental upheaval.

ACTS I-VII is intended as a reminder of what connects us and a prompt for contemplation. With photographs spilling from the gallery walls out into the neighbouring gardens, we're asked to consider the world and what it means to be an individual who is part of something more: a collective, a community or an environment. How does it feel to make, share, treasure and consume images, or to be photographed? Do the old rules still apply, or has the moment to rethink arrived?

ACTS I-VII is curated by Oculi members Aishah Kenton, Abigail Varney, Alana Holmberg, Tajette O’Halloran, and Rachel Mounsey in conversation with Natasha Christia. 

Benalla Art Gallery | 29 April to 17 July 2022 |