A Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) touring exhibition.
Hurstville Museum & Gallery.

Saturday 17 January 2026 to Sunday 19 April 2026.
Official opening was held at 10.00am Saturday 31 January 2026. This event has passed.

Petrina Hicks’s large-scale photographs use mythology, fables and art history. They reframe the contemporary female experience. Permeated with a sense of magical realism, animals and females often appear together. They represent aspects of psyche and identity. Alluding to the complexity of female identity and the sentience of animals.

The pieces in Snakes and Mirrors are rich with metaphor. They feature the misunderstood snake, the fertile egg, and the clever parrot. Though they seem still and silent, these images are actually sentient, mobile, and very much alive. With a somewhat astounding proximity to human flesh, the animals inhabit personal space and provoke curiosity. MAPh is thrilled to present Snakes and mirrors. This new work by Petrina Hicks invites viewers into a world of quiet wonder and vast possibility.
 

Workshops

Collage Workshop

Explore the current Main Gallery exhibition featuring Petrina Hicks’s striking large-scale photographs, then respond creatively in this hands-on collage workshop lead by the Sydney Collage Society.

Saturday 14 March, 1.30pm - 4.00pm.
$12.50.
This event had passed.
 

Portrait Lighting Workshop

Join acclaimed artist Petrina Hicks for a hands-on photography workshop exploring studio lighting, backdrops, and a conceptual approach to portraiture.

Saturday 21 March, 10.30am - 1.00pm.
$12.50.
This event had passed.
 

Learning Resources

This exhibition can serve as a valuable learning session for school tour groups studying Visual Arts and Photography.

MaPh has created an Educational Learning Resource.

Curator: Anouska Phizacklea, MAPh Director.
Image: Petrina Hicks,The Lemur Gaze (detail), 2024, pigment ink-jet print, courtesy of the artist and Michael Reid Galleries (Sydney + Berlin).
 

Exhibition images