City Gallery: Viva Gibb’s Portrait of North and West Melbourne
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Visit City Gallery to view the exhibition, On the street where I live: Viva Gibb’s portrait of North and West Melbourne. Curated by Savannah Smith, this exhibition showcases the photography of Viva Jillian Gibb (1945–2017).
Between the mid-1970s and the early 1990s, Gibb documented the inner suburban neighbourhoods of North and West Melbourne, where she lived. For nearly two decades, this was the primary focus of her work. Jewel-like portraits predominate, with her subjects set in a distinctive inner-suburban landscape. Grounded in her strong social and political convictions, Gibb created a distinct and sympathetic portrait of her community during a transformative period in Melbourne’s history.
City Gallery is located on the ground floor of the historic Melbourne Town Hall. Completed in 1870, Town Hall is at the heart of the city’s cultural and civic activity, and many of the decisions that have helped shape Melbourne were made within this heritage-listed building. A mix of bluestone and Tasmanian freestone, this classically designed building features fine masonry, a clock tower, council chambers, a large auditorium with a grand organ, and an impressive portico where the Beatles waved to crowds in 1964.
What's On
Visit City Gallery and experience On the street where I live: Viva Gibb’s portrait of North and West Melbourne.
Drawing on the generous donation of more than 200 of Gibb’s photographs to Melbourne Art Trust in 2025, this exhibition examines this significant body of work and re-introduces the sophisticated practice of an artist whose photographs have largely lain dormant for 30 years.
In Collaboration With:
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Savannah Smith
Savannah Smith works with the City of Melbourne’s Art and Heritage Collection. She has been employed across the museums and galleries sector internationally, including at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Most recently, she was the gallery manager of Australian Galleries, in Melbourne. In research and curatorship, she is particularly interested in the representation of liminal identities through art. Savannah holds a master’s degree in art curatorship from the University of Melbourne and an honours degree in art history from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Image provided: Savannah Smith, photo by Luis Enrique Ascui.
Images: (1) City Gallery, 'On the street where I live: a portrait of North and West Melbourne'. Photo: courtesy City of Melbourne. (2) Viva Gibb, ‘Lolly seller’, Victoria Street, West Melbourne, 1985, silver gelatin print. Donated by Sybil Gibb and Rupert Duffy to the Melbourne Art Trust 2025, © Estate of Viva Gibb. (3) Viva Gibb, 'Frank the barber', Errol Street, North Melbourne, c. 1980, silver gelatin print. Donated by Sybil Gibb and Rupert Duffy to the Melbourne Art Trust 2025, © Estate of Viva Gibb. (4) Viva Gibb, 'Jill and Tim', 44 Hawke Street, West Melbourne, 1988, silver gelatin print. Loaned to the City of Melbourne by Sybil Gibb and Rupert Duffy, © Estate of Viva Gibb. (5) Viva Gibb, 'Kim Kruger and Maree Clarke', Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, 1991, silver gelatin print. Donated by Sybil Gibb and Rupert Duffy to Melbourne Art Trust 2025, © Estate of Viva Gibb. (6) Viva Gibb, 'Maxine Du Barry at Trish's Coffee Lounge', 126 Peel Street, North Melbourne, 1979, silver gelatin print. Donated by Sybil Gibb and Rupert Duffy to the Melbourne Art Trust 2025, © Estate of Viva Gibb.
