Elias Redstone

Background

About Elias Redstone

Elias Redstone is the Founder and Artistic Director of PHOTO Australia and PHOTO International Festival of Photography (Melbourne/Naarm), an internationally acclaimed new biennial that has been viewed by over half a million people across its first three editions (PHOTO 2021, PHOTO 2022 and PHOTO 2024). The festival transforms Melbourne through ambitious public art installations and gallery exhibitions, with a focus on premiering new work by Australian artists alongside exclusive presentations by international photographers including Nan Goldin, Ryan McGinley, Zanele Muholi, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Cindy Sherman, and Malick Sidibé. Through PHOTO Australia, Elias has developed a comprehensive ecosystem to champion Australian photography on the world stage: an extensive commissioning program; New Photographers, a platform for emerging talent; PHOTO Editions, a photobook publishing imprint; and a visiting international curators program. He launched Queer PHOTO, a festival of queer photography, and his cultivation of international partnerships, including with The Photographers' Gallery and Victoria & Albert Museum, has created new pathways for Australian photography to be presented overseas. His independent curatorial practice includes 'Constructing Words: Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age' at Barbican Art Gallery, ‘Chen Wei: The Club’ at the Centre for Contemporary Photography’, and the Polish Pavilion at the 2010 Venice Biennale. His self-initiated project ‘Archizines’, which explored the relationship between independent publishing and spatial practice, was exhibited in 34 cities worldwide. As Curator/Senior Curator at The Architecture Foundation, he developed an experimental exhibition program and extended the organisation’s impact through collaborations with Tate Modern, MoMA, and the British Council. Currently Australia Editor for Wallpaper*, following roles as Contributing Editor at Arena Homme Plus and GQ Style, Redstone brings critical perspectives to photography, art, and design. His book 'Shooting Space: Architecture in Contemporary Photography' is published by Phaidon.