Optimistically Omnivorous is a small yet potent survey exhibition of photographic artists who were either born in or later moved to, and are influenced by or critical of, the locale of Queensland. This exhibition is part of Onespace Gallery’s ongoing commitment to the photographic community of Queensland. It seeks to present new work from diverse voices on a unique place. With a line-up of established and several impressive emerging artists Optimistically Omnivorous includes works by Cara Coombe, Peter Fischmann, Teresa Fornataro, Julia Scott Green, Christopher Handran and James Hornsby.

“Optimistically Omnivorous presents the work of six Queensland-based photographic artists, whose practices utilise materials, places and ideas that are readily available. However, they employ divergent methods, approaches and philosophical connections to the medium. From constructed performances that reveal false narratives to indexical documentations that emphasise a specific time or place, the exhibition highlights photography’s multiple modes for representing us and itself, questioning the very act of looking.

With the artists working from, or close to, home with simple materials and processes, Optimistically Omnivorous creates connections to communities and each other around a common place—Queensland—through the presentation of familiar landscapes, known cultural conventions, habits and actions, with shared narratives around universal experiences.”

— Martin Smith, Curator (Catalogue Essay Excerpt)