Month of “remarkable” women photographers at Magnet

After successfully holding the World Press Photo exhibition in late June, Magnet Galleries Melbourne is focusing its attention on the work of the women around it.

The two exhibitions occupying Magnet this month are Miracle in gallery one and World Moments in gallery two.

While both are diverse pieces of work, the two exhibitions ultimately display the gallery owners, Michael and Susanne Silver’s commitment to support and represent the work of women within their close-knit community.

“Miracle is an exhibition by four Melbourne women photographers [Barbara Oehring, Margot Sharman, Pam Davison and Sue Jackson] who are frequent exhibitors at Magnet and our previous gallery, and we got to know one another this way,” Mrs Silver said.

“The exhibition is a collection of photographs expressing the small miracles of everyday life.”

Capturing everything from birds in the sky to clouds and flowers, the exhibition displays the simple images we see in everyday life that ultimately “spark joy in us”.

While opened since August 3, the official public opening takes place August 7 with a High Tea for visitors between 2pm and 4pm.

In addition to the Miracle exhibition, Magnet Galleries will be hosting German photographer Eva Rugel who Mr and Mrs Silver met through one of their previous galleries before she travelled back to Germany.

Ms Rugel’s photography during the time she left Australia to travel back with her family to Germany via a year-long overland trip is the focus of her recent work World Moments at Magnet.

“As she was on her trip, she photographed all the places they passed through and those photographs in many countries created this exhibition,” Mrs Silver said.

“She also sent postcards to friends along the way and gathered them together, and they are going to be hung up in the gallery from the ceiling on long strings, like a curtain, as an installation for people to walk around.”

The opening of the exhibition will also coincide with Ms Rugel’s launch of her book, also centred around the exhibition, and will take place between 2pm and 4pm on August 4.

A free-of-charge artist talk with the photographer herself will be held on August 14, also from 2pm to 4pm.

Offering a jam-packed month for the community of Docklands, and those in and around the city, Mrs Silver said she was hoping people would make the most of this time after a quiet past month at The District.

“With a group of local women photographers and one overseas woman photographer, I am hoping that these exhibitions will encourage people to come in and see the remarkable work that women photographers are doing,” she said.

World Moments will be open at Magnet until August 19, and Miracle will wrap up the following day.

The Magnet Galleries Melbourne can be found on Wharf St at The District Docklands. •

For more information: magnet.org.au