Powerhouse has announced photographers Jo-Anne Driessens and Tasha Tylee as recipients of two major photography commissions, the First Nations Right of Reply Photography Commission and the Powerhouse Photography Architectural Commission.
The pair will each receive a $20,000 commission to develop new works in collaboration with Powerhouse over the next year.
The First Nations Right of Reply Photography Commission supports an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander photographer to engage with the Powerhouse Collection, offering an opportunity to reinterpret, challenge, and Indigenise narratives within applied arts and sciences through a First Nations lens.
Ms Driessens, a Guwa-Koa, Gungarri, and Kuku Yalanji woman, has spent three decades documenting Aboriginal communities in urban, remote, and regional areas.
Since completing a photography cadetship at the State Library of Queensland in 1999, she has worked in curatorial and photography roles, focusing on archival research, exhibitions, and Aboriginal family history.
Ms Driessens said the commission comes at a significant time in her career.
"This opportunity is happening at the exact right time and place in my career and I am honoured to have the doors held open to work closely with the Powerhouse staff over the next 12 months," she said.
"I am looking forward to challenging the narratives and grateful to embark on a slower, experimental photography process through the fusion of Culture, Science, Art."
The Powerhouse Photography Architectural Commission seeks to explore new perspectives on Australian architecture and the built environment, focusing on urban development, housing, infrastructure, and sustainability.
Ms Tylee, known for her deliberate approach to architectural photography, has worked with leading firms and has documented the Naples Street House by Edition Office, which won the 2024 AIA National Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture.
She will use the commission to examine sustainable materials, tracing their journey from raw form through manufacturing and construction to their final use.
Ms Tylee said she is looking forward to expanding the scope of her practice.
"I am honoured to be selected for The Powerhouse Photography Architectural Commission," she said.
"This incredible opportunity allows me to expand the scope of my practice and document the future of sustainable architecture and the built environment within Australia.
"As an image maker, I believe I have a unique opportunity to contribute by visually capturing and sharing these innovative ideas."
Powerhouse Chief Executive, Lisa Havilah, said the commissions highlights the diversity of Australian photography.
"Powerhouse is excited to be collaborating with Jo-Anne Driessens and Tasha Tylee on these unique commissions for Powerhouse Parramatta, Ms Havilah said.
"These photographers showcase the diversity of Australian photographic practice, documenting our past and present through the lens of culture and environment."
Both commissions are part of Powerhouse Photography, an industry-led program aimed at supporting and promoting Australian photography through commissions, acquisitions, and research initiatives.
The program is supported by funds from the Australian Centre of Photography.