Photo media artist Anne Zahalka was born in Sydney in 1957, following her parent’s migration to post-war Australia. After studying at East Sydney Technical College and Sydney College of the Arts, Zahalka began participating in group exhibitions in Australia and Germany in the early 1980s. Returning to university, she would later graduate with a Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales in 1994.
In her practice Zahalka reconstructs recognisable imagery to explore concepts of identity, cultural and gender diversity, and the environment. Concepts of appropriation and the subversion of art historical motifs and signifiers are interwoven with the artist's restaging of historic portraiture and photography. The resulting works are intelligent, humorous and accessible. With a growing interest in ecology and the impact of humans on the environment Zahalka's 2019 series Wild Life, Australia moved away from portraiture to reimagine Australian natural history dioramas; to reflect on the changing relationship between society and the natural world.
She has held over 40 solo exhibitions including the touring shows Woven Threads, Leisureland and Wild Life, Australia. Welcome to Sydney was shown in the International Terminal of Sydney Airport in 2003 and Hall of Mirrors: Anne Zahalka Portraits was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery on the Canberra leg of an extensive tour in 2007. Zahalka's work was included in the international photography exhibition Civilization: The Way We Live Now, shown at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, in 2018 and the National Gallery of Victoria in 2019. In the same year, the artist undertook a residency at the Béhal Fejér Institute in Prague, tracing her family's story of persecution, exile and survival.
Zahalka has won the Leopold Godowsky Photography Award in Boston (2005), the National Photographic Prize (2007) and the Macarthur Cook Art Prize (2008). Her work is represented in regional, state, national and international collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, The National Art Gallery, New Zealand, and the Sir Elton John Collection.
