When
29 Apr – 22 May 2022
12–5pm weekdays | 10am – 5pm weekends
British Artist Gillian Wearing turns the lens on herself in this exploration of memory and mortality.
Inspired by documentaries, reality television and the performative nature of identity, British artist Gillian Wearing describes her approach to photography and video as “editing life”. Presented for PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography, this exhibition focuses on how Wearing turns the lens on herself to contemplate self-representation and the nature of aging in the contemporary world.
After asking collaborators to imagine how she might look at 70, Wearing used artificial intelligence and age-processing tools to depict her possible future selves. Printed on wallpaper wrapping the gallery, these huge self-portraits highlight the unpredictability of time, revealing the limitations of what we believe to be pioneering technology and further emphasising the uncertainty of what lies ahead.
On-screen we meet a series of strangers who appear to look like the artist. Collaborating with advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, Wearing created a deepfake by mapping an AI digital mask of her face onto others. Using this technology, Wearing asks us to question contemporary media culture and how reality can be distorted.
I was very interested in using this technology to question the veracity of truth and identity, which are relevant to a lot of things we’re all in the midst of at this moment in time.
About Gillian Wearing
Gillian Wearing was born 1963 in Birmingham and currently lives and works in London. She was recently commissioned by the Mayor of London to create a statue of Suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, which was unveiled in April 2018. Wearing won the Turner Prize in 1997 and was awarded an OBE in 2011 and a CBE in 2019 for contribution to the arts. A survey exhibition of Gillian Wearing’s works will be held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA until June 2022.
Plan your visit
COVIDSafe visitor guidelines, information on accessibility, amenities, transport, dining options and more.
Hero – Restaurant and Bar
Our restaurant, cafe and bar features a seasonally driven menu developed by acclaimed Melbourne chef, Karen Martini.
