Waves and water: Australian beach photographers

Iconic photographs capture Australian beach culture from the 1930s to today. Sunbathers, swimmers, surfers and surf life savers are depicted in this collection of photographs from the Australian National Maritime Museum.

The exhibition includes Max Dupain’s iconic image, the Sunbaker, Ray Leighton’s surfers posed with their longboards, images from Jeff Carter’s 1960s surfing safari, and Roger Scott’s 'critical moment' photographs, taken as an individual catches a wave or dives into the ocean.

Anne Zahalka explores ideas of Australian cultural identity and stereotypes by reworking familiar images from the media and the history of art in the series Bondi: playground of the Pacific. Narelle Autio provides a different view of the ocean swimmer from beneath the surface of the waves, and Ian Lever renders the beauty and moods of Sydney’s ocean pools at dawn and dusk.