The Substation/​ Channels Festival/​ Untimely Geographies/

Untimely Geographies, curated by Artistic Director Kellie Alred, investigates relationships between individuals, communities and power structures.

Featuring multi-channel video works by London-Istanbul based duo Noor Afshan Mirza and Brad Butler, Australian artist Reko Rennie and Kazakhstani artist Almagul Menlibayeva, the exhibition examines critical moments of social transformation across different eras, cultures and geographies.

The exhibition sheds light on postcolonial narratives by juxtaposing the work of artists from Australia and central Asia. It brings a personal story – which references a matriarchal Indigenous culture from northern NSW – into dialogue with contemporary feminist perspectives.

Paying homage to cinematic genres such as the road movie and film noir, the artists draw on cosmology, crash theory, symbolism and myth to address questions about cultural identity, inequality and agency.

Utilising verbal and non-verbal language systems, the participating artists blend fantasy with fact to inspire fresh perspectives on historical events and their intergenerational implications.

Presented by The Substation and Channels Festival.

International artists Almagul Menlibayeva (Kazakhstan/Germany) and Noor Afshan Mirza (Turkey/United Kingdom) are undertaking four-week residencies in Melbourne with support from Channels Festival and RMIT University School of Art through SITUATE.