Launched this July at the Rencontres d’Arles — one of the world’s most respected photography festivals — On Country: Photography from Australia is already being recognised as a significant new publication. Co-published by PHOTO Australia and Perimeter Editions, this photobook accompanies the first-ever group exhibition of Australian photography to be presented at Arles. But it does far more than support an exhibition; it captures a crucial moment in how Australian stories are told and shared internationally.
At the centre of this project is the concept of ‘Country’. For First Nations people in Australia, ‘Country’ is not simply land or territory. It holds deep connections to ancestors, culture, law, language, family, waterways and skies. Being ‘on Country’ means living with these relationships and carrying responsibilities that are cultural, spiritual and ongoing.
This photobook places those connections and understandings at its core. It brings together the work of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists who each bring their own perspective on what it means to live on, care for, and respond to Country. The project looks closely at how land ties into community and identity, and how these ties continue despite the impact of colonisation.
Australia’s history is complex. Over 60,000 years of First Peoples’ presence and knowledge underpin this continent, spanning more than 250 language groups. That deep continuity sits alongside the last two centuries of colonisation, migration and the building of settler and diaspora communities. The stories held in On Country do not shy away from these overlapping histories. Instead, they highlight how First Nations cultures remain strong and alive, despite persistent attempts to silence or erase them.
Where photography in Australia was once used as a tool to categorise, document or even control, the artists in this book turn the medium towards truth telling and self-determination. Through their work, they acknowledge the weight of the past while also pointing towards possible futures.
On Country: Photography from Australia features artworks by Tony Albert and David Charles Collins, Ying Ang, Atong Atem, Sonja Carmichael and Elisa Jane Carmichael, Maree Clarke, Michael Cook, Brenda L Croft, J Davies, Liss Fenwick, Adam Ferguson, Robert Fielding, The Huxleys, Ricky Maynard, Lisa Sorgini, Tace Stevens, wani toaishara, and James Tylor. It also includes contributions by respected writers and curators Kelli Cole, Pippa Milne, Brendan McCleary, Kimberley Moulton, and Elias Redstone, who provide reflections that help place these photographic practices within broader discussions around history, power and belonging.
This photobook matters because it offers a new way of seeing — one that does not separate land from people, or the present from the deep past. It asks viewers to think carefully about the connections we all have to place, and about who has the authority and lived experience to speak for Country.
Published on the occasion of the exhibition at Arles (running from 7 July to 5 October 2025), On Country stands as a significant document of contemporary Australian photography. Supported by the French Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation and the Gordon Darling Foundation, the book reflects what is possible when serious investment is made into sharing stories that have often been marginalised.
This is more than a showcase of photographic talent. It is a powerful collective statement on memory, resilience and the ongoing life of Country — one that resonates well beyond Australia’s borders.
Book details
- Title: On Country: Photography from Australia
- Publisher: Perimeter Editions x PHOTO Australia (Naarm / Melbourne)
- Price: $70.00 AUD
- Format: Softcover, OTA binding
- Size: 23 x 30 cm
- Pages: 192
For more information or to purchase the book, visit Perimeter Editions
Images courtesy of Perimeter Editions.
