Intriguing commercial postwar photography is being showcased to the public at the discretion of the
State Library until February 2012. The exhibition,
As Modern as Tomorrow, aims to contextualise the pieces for a contemporary audience by showing the publications in which the images were first printed.
'As Modern as Tomorrow' is on display from July 2011 - February 2012.
About seventy photographs from esteemed photographers including Maggie Diaz and Norman Ikin, will be on display alongside the advertisements in which they originally appeared. Brands which remain well-known today, such as Kodak and Shell, commissioned some of the featured images for their promotional materials.
This image, taken by Wolfgang Sievert, will be displayed at the exhibition.
Most of the photographs on show were snapped in the fifties and sixties, with some never having been displayed to the public before. While the images were taken in Melbourne, their photographers were all immigrants. The photos capture the prosperity and conservative ideals of their era.
The exhibition can be found at the Keith Murdoch Gallery, on level two of the grand State Library of Victoria. Best of all, you can experience this slice of culture without opening your wallet, as there is no entry fee.
