2 September 2010 to 22 January 2011
Historically, places of worship are integral to the life and function of the city. Just think of the oases of calm created by Buddhist temples in the middle of busy Bangkok; of the way time is structured around the call to prayer in the cities of the Middle East; and how, before the industrial revolution and modern age, the domes and spires of churches and cathedrals dominated the skylines of European cities.
What function do places of worship have in Melbourne today? Does their value lie in their history, or do they have a continuing role to play as places of peace in the rush of the technological age? Is the multicultural reality of Melbourne embodied in the sacred architecture of the city? Through photography and text, The New Jerusalem asked us to pause and contemplate – critically and meditatively – the meaning of worship and faith today.
Curated by writer Christos Tsiolkas and photographer Zoe Ali
Christos Tsiolkas and Zoe Ali are long-time collaborators, exploring questions of exile, longing, faith and identity through image and text. This is their fifth collaboration.
Christos is the author of the novels Loaded, The Jesus Man, Dead Europe (winner of the 2005 Age Fiction Novel of the Year) and The Slap (winner of the 2009 Commonwealth Prize for Literature). He is also a playwright, scriptwriter and essayist, and has worked collaboratively with artists across a range of media.
Zoe Ali began studying photography under John Cato and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art, Photography from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1993. Her work has appeared in publications for M.I.L.K. and she has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the National Gallery of Victoria, Annex Gallery (Kuala Lumpur) and The Mall Gallery (London).