From one home to another, it's near impossible to imagine dinner presenting the same way. Even when factoring in the bachelor's special heat-and-eat meal, there are still endless variations of condiments and cutlery to consider. Yet, there's a shared familiarity that ties it all together.
Curated: Nathan Coote. Cover: Hashem Moukaddem
Uniting eighteen photographers from across Victoria, Out Of Sight presents Home For Dinner. From front doors, to salt and pepper shakers, and everything in between, the exhibition offers eighteen takes on what it means to come home for dinner.
For one night only, Home For Dinner exhibits this Friday 5pm–9pm, April 17th, at Revolver Upstairs, 1/229 Chapel St, Prahran, VIC.
Nathan, great to connect again. What have you been up to recently?
Hey man. Yeah, it’s been a minute. I recently moved house, and the change of scenery has been nice from both a photographic point of view and for my mental health, which I’m loving. Other than that, I’ve just been working on personal projects and organising this show.
Where did the idea for Out of Sight come from, and how has it evolved over time?
So pretty much, I’ve been working as the Resident Creative Arts Photographer at Revolver Upstairs since 2018, and last year I was approached by Eluise Rojas, who is the Live Music & Creative Arts Manager, about potentially running an annual photographic show.
The approach was to be different to other photographic shows that had been held at Revs in previous years. The main goal was to celebrate photography in Victoria by inviting photographers with different styles to show their work on a different theme each year.
We brainstormed a bunch of ideas for the show name and came up with ‘Out of Sight’, which we thought worked well, given that you always see the photograph but never the photographer. Last year was a success, and I was invited back again to present Out of Sight #2, which I’m stoked to share with you.
Photo: John Umina
What drew you to “Home For Dinner” as this year’s theme?
Last year, we ran Out Of Sight Presents: Chaos in the CBD, which was fully focused on street photography. But this year, I wanted something a bit broader – not so pigeonholed to one specific style. I was flicking between something to do with photographers’ archives and something around home when I got a message from my partner asking if I would be home for dinner – it was like a sign. So I ran with it.
What makes an image feel like “home” to you?
I find that for everyone, the idea of home through photography looks different. For me, it’s a feeling – a sense of nostalgia when I’m out shooting or looking at someone else’s work. It’s the memories that surface from when I was first getting into photography, flicking through old images from years long gone.
My mother’s collection of photographs, taken while growing up in inner-city Melbourne in the ’60s. My father’s slides from his time in the Vietnam War.
Old weatherboard houses in the suburbs. Road trips to visit relatives in small, unfamiliar regional towns. Visiting my grandparents, where home-cooked meals were either something you loved or something that made you squirm.
Photo: Nathan Coote
How did you approach curating 18 different interpretations of something so personal?
I started putting feelers out at the end of January, reaching out to a selection of photographers whose styles I felt captured a nostalgic sense of home. It quickly started to lean a bit too landscape-heavy, which I liked, but there’s so much more to home than that. I reached out to my good friend Jesse Pretorius for a different perspective, and that’s how the final list came together.
Photo: Benjamin Buratto
Were there any common threads that emerged across the work, even unintentionally?
I think the beauty of curating this is keeping the surprise for the night – just as it would be for anyone coming to the show. I’ve only seen a few of the works so far, and from what I’ve seen, nothing feels the same across the board, which is great. I’m really excited to see what everyone presents.
Photo: Michael Danischewski
How do you see exhibitions like this contributing to the broader photography community in Victoria?
I would hope that it encourages more smaller photographic exhibitions, not just south of the Yarra, but across all pockets of Melbourne and Victoria moving forward. I hope that it gives artists who are up-and-coming a platform to move forward and jump over the confidence fence by showcasing their works outside of social media.
Photo: Amrit Lowrey
The exhibition is happening at Revolver Upstairs for one night only. What can we expect on the evening?
It’s an all-ages free event that runs from 5pm–9pm. All photos are for sale, and there might be a few prints and zines available as well from contributing photographers.
All are welcome. Come through, grab a drink, a feed, and look at the show. You might meet your new best friend.
Photos: Wilhelm Philipp, Photius Drakos
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