In his latest exhibition photographer Adrian Lander explores the surreal dreamscape of the nation’s capital by night. Following on from his show Off Season (Sydney and Melbourne), featuring ironically elegiac shots of his hometown Brighton UK, he turns his unique gaze on Canberra.

Adrian’s fascination with the city began when he was staying at the Rydges hotel in the CBD on assignment: “I was looking down on the police station car park which glowed beneath street lamps but there were no cars or people anywhere in sight. The overwhelming eeriness made me want to get the camera out – even though it was 11pm – and just start shooting”.

The photographs were taken over a series of subsequent visits with the choice of locations fuelled by the suggestions of Canberrans.

“I’d been told that Canberra is a boring town full of politicians and bureaucrats. But I really fell in love with the modernist houses nestled into the bush of the suburbs and the otherworldliness of the luminous urban spaces so devoid of human activity”.

During his third trip, while staked out in a football stadium waiting for night to fall so he could begin to shoot, he encountered some unexpected action.

“It just happened to be the weekend were you can buy fireworks almost anywhere and let them go off whenever and however you like. Suddenly a group of kids came along and started firing the fireworks at each other – perfect I thought!”

This collection of work highlights Adrian’s technical mastery as well as his ability to uncover the ambiguous nature of a subject. The images that emerge sway between somnambulant foreboding and a sensual, moody beauty.

Adrian has begun to adopt more eco-friendly methods in both his business and art practice and, given the exhibition’s focus on Canberra, thought that it was a perfect opportunity to highlight the current Federal government’s inability to invest in green energy alternatives and general lack of vision on ecological issues.

All invitations and brochures were produced using non-toxic inks and recycled paper. Additionally all profits from the exhibition will go to Wilderness Society.