Previous exhibition

Alex Hobba: A Conversation

4 – 26 August 2020

A Conversation is a solo exhibition by Alex Hobba, based on the 2020 Russia-Ukraine gas dispute: a pricing dispute between Russia and the Ukraine led by Prime Ministers Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Yulia Tymoshenko (Ukraine). Such an event can be explained pragmatically, however, Hobba opts to interview Victor, a friend who has a general idea of the crisis but no specialist insight. Through this more personal retelling of events, a character study is revealed, highlighting the ways in which we create associations using our own narrative techniques of global news events.

Alex Hobba is an emerging artist currently based in Canberra, having graduated from the ANU School of Art in 2020, majoring in Photomedia. With a focus on the interdisciplinary use of photography, video, and sculpture, Hobba explores the construction of stories, playing on devices found within cinema, theatre, literature, and music. Hobba is particularly interested in the use of language and genre as key devices for the communication and representation of information, blurring the line between real life and fiction. Hobba’s work is rooted in the experiential world, drawing on various sources, be they personal or from a global context. Geopolitics and political economy figure in Hobba’s recent work with a nod to 21st century New Materialism.

A Conversation has been organised by curator Chelsea Hopper.

Exhibition opening Friday August 4th from 6pm.

Public program Saturday August 5th 5-6:30pm.
Join curator Chelsea Hopper alongside Screen Studies Lecturer Dr Janice Loreck and International Political Economy Lecturer Dr Jeffrey Wilson as they discuss the exhibition and the topics it explores.

Image credit:
Alex Hobba, A Conversation (installation view), 2020. Image courtesy of the artist.