Photography // Tabled

Artist interviews at XYZ Photo Gallery

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VISUAL ARTS

A podcast featuring insightful conversations with photographers, from emerging talents to established artists. Each episode offers a sit-down discussion that dives deep into artistic journeys, creative challenges, and the stories behind bold, boundary-pushing images. Explore the minds shaping the future of contemporary photography.

26/09/2025

Jude Geale - Melbourne based analog conspirator...

Key themes and talking points* *A Life Between Australia and the Philippines * Breaking Free from Family Expectations * Looking In, Never Belonging: The Outsider’s Eye Behind the Lens * How Cameras Shaped (Then Freed) My Photography “Obsessed with Gear → Found My Voice” * Why Black & White Film Still Matters in the Digital Age* Super 8, Polaroids, and Hasselblad Dreams: “Photography REINVENTED” * “Photography Isn’t About Fame… It’s About Community” * The Classroom Meets the Darkroom: How Education Shapes My Art* Analogue Isn’t Dead — It’s Just Getting Started * From Happy Snaps to Photobooks: Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places * K & Liz Potter: The Photographers You Should Know About (But Probably Don’t)

29 min
19/09/2025

Eureka / Michael James O’Hanlon - Melbourne based artist and queer activist.

Catholicism & queerness: Early exposure to the theatrical rituals of Catholicism (incense, vestments, Requiem Masses) gave him a lifelong fascination with religious spectacle.He openly links Catholic iconography with homoeroticism, drawing lines from Michelangelo, El Greco, and Caravaggio (noting Caravaggio’s sodomy charge).Highlights the irony of all-male monastic life: “Living in same sex communities… that’s what a monastery is. But they’re not gay, no, couldn’t possibly be.” Juxtaposing religion & sexuality: His practice often places naked male figures against religious iconography, deliberately provoking tension between faith and desire. Eroticism as taboo: He admits erotic work intrigues him most — “so demanding emotionally” — but acknowledges galleries “would run screaming” if he submitted it. Still, he pursues it despite no obvious market. Censorship & silence: As a queer artist working with the naked male body, he often encounters not rejection, but silence— no replies, no feedback, no acknowledgement. He finds this lack of response more disturbing than outright critique. Rebellion & protest: Continually uses the Eureka flag and the male nude as a statement of liberation against colonialism, racism, and homophobia.

32 min
26/08/2025

Sara Maiorino - Commercial photographer and photographic artist, based in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Australia

Most Thought-Provoking Insight: "It brought up a lot of ethical considerations around consent too — around people's consent to be monitored and to be recorded on video... and who is benefitting from the surveillance industry." Sara created the Observations on Surveillance series during a residency at the Women's Museum of Australia in Alice Springs in 2024. The museum is housed in a former jail, which sparked an exploration of surveillance, incarceration, punishment, and the broader societal mechanisms used to maintain safety. This led to a deeper investigation into the ethics of surveillance, especially in the context of consent, privatisation, and public space. Raised in rural Kinglake, Victoria, with early exposure to photography via a childhood film camera and a high school darkroom, they later became a social worker before shifting to photography professionally. Their background in social work significantly informs their photographic ethics, especially when working with portraiture. They are driven by concepts like identity, migration, belonging, and structural power systems—often explored through portraiture and documentary-style work. Sara cite Tracy Moffat and Bill Henson as major influences—artists with drastically different approaches—and admire the tension between consistency and reinvention. They value the physicality of print photography and work both digitally and with film, sometimes framing their own work. Currently, they are working on a portrait series exploring gender diversity and gender euphoria, using interviews as a foundational part of the photographic process.

26 min
02/07/2025

Kirsty K Fox - former Photographic collection manager at ACTF, former Collection Development Officer at NLA, Photographer+overthinker

Kirsty grew up on a Rockbank farm, drawn to machines but limited by gender roles. Her love for photography began with her Nana’s photo tin and deepened through storytelling—first sparked by a friend’s pregnancy and later solidified by capturing a dying friend’s final moments. She sees photography as a trade, prefers small gear for natural images, and calls weddings “extreme sport” for their emotional intensity. Her Women in Trees project, inspired by a vintage photo, embraces playful, unscripted joy. She edits mostly on her phone, keeps a detailed visual archive, and has worked with major collections—including handling prints by Sievers. Now she’s exploring forgotten negatives for a future photo book, with Women in Trees set for the Ballarat Foto Biennale and possibly the National Library.

36 min
21/05/2025

Sionnainne Costello - Photographer and Multimedia visual artist

The subject began documenting life at a young age with a Barbie camera, not for art but to preserve personal memories. Initially drawn to film through a fascination with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, she eventually pursued a film degree, connecting it back to her early love of the camera. Her photography is shaped by personal experiences, technical curiosity, and influences from other artists. She enjoys capturing architecture, landscapes, street scenes, and personal moments, especially influenced by her queer identity and upbringing in a small Queensland town. Now based in Melbourne, she values aesthetics and technical precision over deep conceptual meaning, though her master’s studies have encouraged occasional narrative exploration. She admires photographer Hasham McAdam for his diverse, visually striking work and regularly recommends his art.

46 min
25/04/2025

Finn Goldstraw - Artist and Photographer

Realisation that photography could express their artistic vision in a deeper way, marking a turning point where they saw it as more than just casual snapshots. Artist creative process - shifted from letting photos reveal meaning to intentionally planning a narrative first, showing a more thoughtful and emotionally driven approach to storytelling through photography. Desire to create work that feels beautiful, honest, and consistently high-quality, while also acknowledging a dream of gaining recognition—like having work in the NGV collection—with a humble, self-aware tone.

33 min
23/04/2025

Derek Nguyen - Melbourne based Photographer

Derek reflects on how memories can be unreliable. Memories often come back like flipping through a photo album - a rolodex effect. Studied linguistic, math and computer science - fostering an analytical, detail-focused mindset that shows not loud, deliberate photography style. Finds meaning in photographing people interacting with the world, seeing it as their own way of engaging with life. They value quiet, everyday moments—often overlooked—and aim to capture their depth and beauty, encouraging others to appreciate them too.

40 min
16/04/2025

Hashem McAdam photographer, filmmaker, and content creator of Pushing Film/YouTube

Born in Perth to Lebanese parents, he grew up in various places, often feeling like an outsider. Seeking escape from a lack of diversity, developed a deep fascination with photography early on. He cherished the excitement of seeing developed film, finding in photography a way to preserve and better understand those moments in life.

21 min
09/04/2025

Bernie Cram Photographer, Designer, Owner of District Darkroom Coburg

His passion for photography in childhood, inspired by his father's captivating photos. His early exposure led him to pursue photography seriously. including attending photography school. His journey reflects a deepening awareness and a dedicated focus on developing his craft and artistic expression.

28 min

9 Episodes

A podcast featuring insightful conversations with photographers, from emerging talents to established artists. Each episode offers a sit-down discussion that dives deep into artistic journeys, creative challenges, and the stories behind bold, boundary-pushing images. Explore the minds shaping the future of contemporary photography.

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Artist interviews at XYZ Photo Gallery
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2K
Episodes

9
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Photography // Tabled