Window on Collections: protest

From the steps on the Forecourt to the depths of the Collection, State Library Victoria plays a vital role in how Victoria protests. For over 150 years the Library has been a community meeting point for equal rights, representation, and justice campaigns and continues to provide a platform for voices to be heard.

Our autumn Window on Collection explores stories of urban protest and social movement from the perspective of the artists and photographers who captured them.

Join us to hear from the artists about their work and view the new protest-inspired acquisitions in the Library’s Collection.

Featured artists include: 

• Julie Shiels, creator of The grandmasters political parodies that have been seen on walls, online, in a book, and on placards for the March4Justice rallies.
• Maylei Hunt, Photographer of the Let's eat cake photography series documenting the journey to marriage equality in Australia.
• Ali MC (Alister McKeich), who photographed the Black Lives Matter and Invasion Day protests.

Please note: this event will also be livestreamed. 

About the artists

Ali MC

Ali MC is a former touring musician and producer, a criminology photographer, writer, and lecturer. Ali regularly travels internationally to conduct projects based on politics, social issues and culture and has also worked extensively with Indigenous communities in Australia.  

His recent projects include Rohingya refugees, Khasi stone labourers in India, marginalised groups in East Timor and street photography in Iran.  

His portrait of the Indigenous singer and songwriter Archie Roach was selected for the 2021 Bowness Photography Prize. The State Library of Victoria recently acquired a collection of his protest photography.  

Ali is also the author of the full-length travel book The eyeball end and is currently working on a second book and the photo zine Analog Iran. 

Julie Shiels

Julie Shiels started her art career as a screen printer and political poster maker and founded another Planet Posters. She subsequently worked collaboratively with culturally diverse communities, museums and arts organisations on mixed media projects concerned with inequality and social change.

Julie holds a PhD from the Victorian College of the Arts and taught in the RMIT School of Art for more than a decade. Julie regularly exhibits in public galleries and artist-run spaces and has undertaken many temporary and permanent public art commissions. Her work is held in many public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Geelong Gallery, State Library of Victoria, Australian Embassy, Vietnam.

Maylei Hunt

Maylei Hunt is a photographer and filmmaker based in Melbourne, who’s career spans over 21 years in the social documentary, commercial and art spectrum of photography. Maylei is deeply passionate about social justice, the community and the arts. Combining personal passions of the arts and community engagement to create unique works and creative opportunities with a strong focus on storytelling.

With a documentary shooting style and focus Maylei is interested in the amazing stories we all have and the importance of being the authors of our own histories.

Maylei’s works are in private and public collections; these include the State Library of Victoria, State Library of NSW, University of Technology Collection, Murray Art Museum Albury Collection and Private collections.

About Window on Collections    

For 165 years, State Library Victoria has collected books, maps, ephemera, objects and artworks on almost every subject you can think of, with a special focus on Victoria. The State Collection includes almost 5.5 million items which provide a vital window into the past and record of contemporary life.  

Window on Collections is our new series of displays and events that give you a glimpse of what we’re collecting and why. 

Planning your visit

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