New Exhibition ‘NSW At Night’ Captures The Pulse Of Our Lives After Dark

From late-night trains to run clubs, NSW at Night captures the city after dark through the lenses of four photographers in a new exhibition at the Parliament House.

Presented by Powerhouse and the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, the exhibition brings together four NSW photographers, each documenting a distinct corner of night-time culture across the state: Andrew Quilty in Sydney’s inner city, Tajette O’Halloran in the Northern Rivers, Anthony Rigby-Smith in Wollongong and Jade D’Amico deep inside Sydney’s pulsing scene.

Together they have conjured something real out of the dark: an enticing study of a state caught between what it was and what it is becoming.

 

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Quilty, a six-time Walkley Award winner who has spent his entire career in zones of conflict and border crossing, turned that same rigorous attention on Sydney’s train network. What he found was not so different from his other work.

“These photographs represent a liminal period,” he says, “characterised by the commuter’s anticipation of what’s ahead.”

The result is an unscientific but quietly compelling cross-section of the city and the many people who move through it every night.

O’Halloran spent twelve months embedded in Northern Rivers youth culture, photographing rites of passage and the texture of regional nightlife that rarely get attention.

She says the commission pushed her practice in new directions and sharpened her commitment to telling stories past the city limits.

Rigby-Smith found his story in the shared effort and camaraderie of Illawarra‘s evening run clubs, where community builds itself one kilometre at a time.

And D’Amico went furthest into the night, gliding through Sydney’s clubs and venues and producing portraits that bottle the full diversity and singular energy of the communities that still know how to have a good time.

Taken together, the exhibition arrives at a moment when the conversation about what happens after sunset is getting louder.

The NSW Government’s own State of the Night report found growing demand for night-time activities across the state, from recreation and exercise to live music.

These photographs put faces to that demand.

“People are seeking more activities after dark,” says 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues, “and these images capture that vibrancy.”

Far from glamorous nightlife shots and more than a reminder to get out, NSW At Night is a rich and raw portrait of the communities, commuters and night owls that keep the city alive long after clocking out.

NSW At Night is on display till 26 March at NSW Parliament House.