Drawing on the Moon as a symbol of illumination, Amos Gebhardt's Mångata weaves sound and moving image with photographic portraits lit entirely by moonlight. Mångata is a Swedish term describing a pathway towards the horizon created by the Moon’s reflection on water – a metaphorical road into the unknown. Interlinked with lunar studies, the series features visionaries in their fields who imagine liberated and collective futures in these dystopian times.
Working across themes of climate justice, abolition, storytelling, anti-oppression practice, and cultural theory, participants include Aileen Moreton-Robinson, Alexis Wright, Anjali Sharma, Aseel Tayah, Debbie Kilroy, Leah Manaema Avene and Nevo Zisin. Reflected in the participants’ eyes are tracings of the moon itself created through subtle movement of the human body in dialogue with Earth's rotation.
As Earth’s closest celestial companion, the Moon in its eternal cycling promises an end to every beginning and a new beginning to every end. The moonlit figures in Mångata are harbingers of change, reflecting the visionary and interconnected labour of liberatory praxis that signals the undoing of the times we live in.
Project Producer Priya Namana
Sound Composition Lawrence English
Made with the generous support of Creative Australia, Country Arts SA, and Arts SA. With special thanks to Sól Swida, Asia Kasia, Anouska Phizacklea, Peter Hatzipavlis, Final Grade, Tobi Edwards, Hoda Afshar, Shea Kirk, Aera Bradley, Lillian Cooke, Katie Milwright, Arten Framing, Eugene Howard, Pippa Milne and MAPh.
Amos GEBHARDT
Mångata 2024
pigment photographic print on paper
courtesy of the artist and Tolarno Galleries (Melbourne)
Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh)
(Formerly Monash Gallery of Art)
860 Ferntree Gully Road
Wheelers Hill VIC 3150
T: +61 3 8544 0500
E: mga@monash.vic.gov.au
W: mga.org.au
Opening Hours
Tuesday - Friday: 10am–5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 12pm–5pm
Entry is Free
The Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV) acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the lands where our office is located, and all Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and Australia. We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enduring traditions and continuing creative cultures. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
We are an LGBTQIA+ friendly organisation that celebrates diversity. We are committed to providing safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive services for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
