when: 13 - 29 June 2024 | | cost: Free | address: Stanley St Darlinghurst NSW 2010 Australia | website: https://www.disordergallery.com/disordernews/do86-joy-mei-en-lai-nighthawks
published: 18 Jun 2024, 5 min read
This showcased event has concluded.
Expired
Sydney photographer and compulsive nighthawk Joy Mei En Lai's latest exhibition opens at Disorder Gallery on 13 June 2024 revealing the unsettling stillness and beauty of our city between dusk and dawn.
Nighthawks showcases a photographic series taken between 2020 - 2024, mainly around Lai's inner-city neighbourhood. Each image captures a seemingly ordinary location and a quiet moment, vibrant in the darkness with crisp detail. A suite of motifs punctuates the series, from breezeblocks to bridges, shipping containers to abandoned cars.
Lai's works are composed with the eye of a painter and executed with the technical mastery of a professional photographer. Every Nighthawks image thrums with possibility: something profound happened seconds ago or is on the cusp of occurring. Like Lai, we are both witnesses and prospective participants.
Australian photo-media artist, Anne Zahalka writes: Nighthawks takes us on a voyeuristic flight through the alleyways and streets of the city. Hovering behind the photographer, we see what she sees. Joy Lai captures her street scenes of the urban, ordinary and strange, with a keen and curious eye. She is hawk-eyed!
ABC Radio National's Kate Evans shares: Joy Lai's photographs glow: with colour, light, attention to the beauty in the everyday and the unexpected. The angle of a staircase, graffiti on brick, the texture of cars, metal, asphalt and our urban lives. What a delight.
Award-winning author and artist George Haddad says: Joy's photographs are high-octane narratives. To look at them is to be immersed in a multiplicity of stories and to be enraptured in what is beyond the image. The photographs raise feelings and questions, they do not serve to answer.
The opening of the Nighthawks exhibition coincides with the launch of Lai's limited-run book of the same name. Lavishly produced, it includes the complete series forwarded by an essay from acclaimed writer, Mireille Juchau. This hand-numbered, hard-cover edition will be available through Disorder Gallery and www.joymlai.com
Nighthawks runs from 13-29 June 2024 at Disorder Gallery, Door 108, Corner of Stanley & Bourke Street, Darlinghurst. Open 12-6 pm, Wednesday to Saturday. To chat with the artist, Joy will be attending the gallery each Saturday until close.
For further information: info@joymlai.com
Gallery: www.disordergallery.com
Content from UpNext.com.au. Please don't scrape website.
Sydney photographer and compulsive nighthawk Joy Mei En Lai's latest exhibition opens at Disorder Gallery on 13 June 2024 revealing the unsettling stillness and beauty of our city between dusk and dawn.
Nighthawks showcases a photographic series taken between 2020 - 2024, mainly around Lai's inner-city neighbourhood. Each image captures a seemingly ordinary location and a quiet moment, vibrant in the darkness with crisp detail. A suite of motifs punctuates the series, from breezeblocks to bridges, shipping containers to abandoned cars.
Lai's works are composed with the eye of a painter and executed with the technical mastery of a professional photographer. Every Nighthawks image thrums with possibility: something profound happened seconds ago or is on the cusp of occurring. Like Lai, we are both witnesses and prospective participants.
Australian photo-media artist, Anne Zahalka writes: Nighthawks takes us on a voyeuristic flight through the alleyways and streets of the city. Hovering behind the photographer, we see what she sees. Joy Lai captures her street scenes of the urban, ordinary and strange, with a keen and curious eye. She is hawk-eyed!
ABC Radio National's Kate Evans shares: Joy Lai's photographs glow: with colour, light, attention to the beauty in the everyday and the unexpected. The angle of a staircase, graffiti on brick, the texture of cars, metal, asphalt and our urban lives. What a delight.
Award-winning author and artist George Haddad says: Joy's photographs are high-octane narratives. To look at them is to be immersed in a multiplicity of stories and to be enraptured in what is beyond the image. The photographs raise feelings and questions, they do not serve to answer.
The opening of the Nighthawks exhibition coincides with the launch of Lai's limited-run book of the same name. Lavishly produced, it includes the complete series forwarded by an essay from acclaimed writer, Mireille Juchau. This hand-numbered, hard-cover edition will be available through Disorder Gallery and www.joymlai.com
Nighthawks runs from 13-29 June 2024 at Disorder Gallery, Door 108, Corner of Stanley & Bourke Street, Darlinghurst. Open 12-6 pm, Wednesday to Saturday. To chat with the artist, Joy will be attending the gallery each Saturday until close.
For further information: info@joymlai.com
Gallery: www.disordergallery.com
Go see Nighthawks photographic exhibition 2024.
Nighthawks photographic exhibition 2024 is on 13 - 29 June 2024. See start and end times below. Conveniently located in Darlinghurst. Call '0416 255 388 for details. Visit their website at https://www.disordergallery.com/disordernews/do86-joy-mei-en-lai-nighthawks.
Are we missing something? Help us improve this article. Reach out to us.
Event Details
Are you looking for 'Things To Do' ideas?
Sydney Upnext Team
Hey Sydney siders! I'm your dedicated UpNext scout, on a mission to navigate the bustling streets and scenic byways of our harbour city to deliver the best deals and lifestyle tips. From the iconic Opera House to the surfers' paradise at Bondi Beach, I'm out and about uncovering the crème de la crème of shopping, dining, and entertainment in Sydney. Need to know the hippest pop-up shops or the latest arts festival? I've got you covered. Catch my daily dose of Sydney life and insider tips on Instagram @UpnextSydney. I share real-time finds, from sample sales to Sydney's secret dining spots, and everything in between. For locals and tourists wanting to get the most out of this vibrant city, follow me for a curated guide to living large and spending smart in Sydney. Join the journey, and let's make every day in Sydney an adventure to remember!
See recent events discovered by Sydney Upnext Team

Darling Harbour Ice Rink 2025
Get your skate on at Darling Harbour's Ice Skating Rink!...

Sharnee live at Gai-mariagal Festival 2025
Willoughby City Council is proud to be a contributor to the Gai-mariagal Festival. Founded in 2001, the festival celebra...

Hollywood Dreaming 2025
When the sun goes down HQ comes alive! Get ready to explore our precinct - we've got food and drink, live music, dj's, w...

Incognito Art Show 2025
Join us for Australia's most inclusive art show from the 26 May - 22 June at The Garden Gallery, Sydney Botanic Gardens....