‘Past Continuous’ an exhibition of photographs by Australian artist Julie Rrap, has just opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.


One of the images from the Julie Rrap: Past Continuous exhibition, which is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. © Julie Rrap.

Julie Rrap (b. 1950, Widjabul Wia-bal Country/Lismore) has been a major figure in Australian contemporary art for over 40 years. Since the mid-1970s, Rrap has used photography, video, performance, sculpture, and drawing, to examine representations of the female body in art and popular culture over time, often using her own body as the subject. The new exhibition presents the artist’s landmark installation Disclosures: A Photographic Construct (1982) from the MCA Collection, which comprises over 70 photographs and self-portraits taken in the artist’s studio. It is accompanied by new and recent works of video, sculpture, and photography, created 42 years later and featuring the artist’s body and documenting the body through time, addressing both its strengths and vulnerabilities.

This exhibition is part of an ongoing program that presents new work by living Australian artists drawing upon emblematic works in the MCA Collection. It will be on display until 16 February 2025. Click here for more information.