I would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri Willum clan of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I live and work. I pay my respects to their Elders both past, present and emerging.
Vivian Cooper Smith was born in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and lived in Bangladesh and India before moving to Australia. Now based in Naarm/Melbourne his practice is informed by a diffractive methodology which identifies the active role the apparatus of photography has in understanding the world. Vivian uses haptic and performative studio processes to explore the conceptual and image making possibilities this methodology offers. Recently he has also introduced drawing and collage to his practice as a way to further explore the philosophical implications of process led meditative image making.
Recent exhibitions include Interference Pattern (with Rebecca Najdowski) as part of Return to Nature, Monash Gallery of Art (2022), Losing Ground, Blockprojects, Melbourne (2022), From Impulse to Action, Bundanon Art Museum (2022), Actions for a Luminous World, Galerie pompom, Sydney (2020).
In 2020 Vivian was one of two Overall winners of the Contemporary Landscapes in Photography (CLIP) Award. He completed a Masters in Fine Arts (Research) at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2018 and was the winner of the National Gallery of Victoria Women's Association Award. He has been a recipient of the CCP Salon Patrick Corrigan AM Acquisitive Award and a finalist in the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award, the Bowness Photography Prize and the Paul Guest Prize for drawing. His work is held in the private, corporate and public collections including Artbank, Australian Catholic University, City of Yarra, and Gippsland Art Gallery.
He is represented by Blockprojects, Melbourne
Instagram: @viviancsmith