All these eyes were mine

This exhibition takes inspiration from Italo Calvino’s short story ‘The Spiral’, which speculatively explores the evolutionary journey of eyes from the perspective of a mollusc. By developing a shell—something beautiful to look at—this mollusc begins the process of eye evolution. The story culminates in a proliferation of gazes unfolding between animals and humans, above and below the water’s surface. All these eyes were mine explores surfaces as paradoxical entities, serving as barriers and bridges between worlds.

The exhibition emerged from spending time along the Maribynong River and thinking about the animals in the water returning Anatol’s gaze. Through drawing, photography, sound, and installation it aims to deconstruct the acts of looking and listening in order to consider technology, infrastructure, manufactured materials, and ecological relationships.