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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Atong Atem\u2019s striking photographs reflect identity, family, history and politics. She often uses herself as a canvas, painting her face, and the images she creates are often a riot of colour, playful and almost always joyous.<\/p>\n On Sunday afternoon, in a pop-up event designed for Mother\u2019s Day, Melburnians will have a chance to get a portrait shot by Atem \u2013 with their mum.<\/p>\n That said, the 35-year-old mother of two says her definition of mother for the pop-up is deliberately loose.<\/p>\n To her mind, there are plenty of places where people can celebrate their mum in \u201cthat traditional flowers-and-chocolates way\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI want just one little space in the world where it\u2019s not about that … Not everybody has the same relationship to Mother\u2019s Day or mothers and family in general,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mental image is that it\u2019ll be everything from a mum bringing in their newborn baby and taking a photo with them, to somebody who doesn\u2019t even like their mum … and wants to take a photo that their mum would hate.\u201d<\/p>\n She also welcomes people who\u2019ve lost mothers or lost mother figures, encouraging them to bring in a photo and have \u201ca beautiful portrait taken as they hold a photo, or that person\u2019s favourite dress or hat, or something symbolic and personal\u201d.<\/p>\n People are invited to sit for a 10-minute portrait session and can take a signed print home for $50. The main response thus far, she says, has been from people who aren\u2019t planning to have a literal photograph taken with their mother.<\/p>\n Initially, Atem assumed it would just be her immediate circle of people interested but already there\u2019s been a huge response.<\/p>\n Entertainment will be provided by her eight-year-old nephew, who is a musician. Visitors are encouraged to BYO garments or hats that might need freshening up, as there will be an embroidery service on site; a number of volunteers will be on hand to help.<\/p>\n Raised on the Central Coast in New South Wales, Atem is now based in Melbourne. After escaping the second civil war in her parents\u2019 homeland of South Sudan, the family spent time in Kakuma refugee camp in north-west Kenya before arriving in Australia when she was six years old.<\/p>\n Gallerist Andy Dinan of MARS Gallery recalls taking Atem\u2019s work to Sydney Contemporary in 2019 and selling just one work; she cried on the plane on the way home. \u201cNine years on I\u2019m laughing at how upset I was,\u201d Dinan says.<\/p>\n Atem\u2019s work has since been shown around the world, including at London\u2019s Tate Modern, and is currently on display in Shanghai and Amsterdam.<\/p>\n \u201c[Atem\u2019s work] is an examination of her displacement and also you can see her love of painting,\u201d Dinan says. \u201cShe actually majored in painting and then went into photography, but you can see in her use of colour, how much she loves it.<\/p>\n \u201cShe loves to photograph and is always working. She\u2019s a delight to work with and her sense of community is second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n Dinan will take Atem\u2019s new work to Sydney Contemporary in September and MARS will host a show in November.<\/p>\n In October, the National Gallery of Victoria will host a major survey show called Passage: The Art of Atong Atem<\/a>. A world premiere, the exhibition will survey the past decade of her career, featuring more than 65 works.<\/p>\n![\"Photographer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/beb18327fb84b5d70715c211980b6a3d1d8e106d.jpeg\")
Photographer Atong Atem with her baby.Ruby Alexander<\/p>\n![\"Atong](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b1af735ef0f89eb6f6f479a26634b76e9e6f5a19.jpeg\")
Atong Atem\u2019s Maria of Mars (2022).Courtesy of the NGV<\/p>\n![\"Atong](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/86e6b30bdc5a92211ed3cc0d6ba64fc828cda739.jpeg\")
Atong Atem with her work at \u2018PHOTO 2022\u2019.Luis Enrique Ascui<\/p>\n![\"Atem\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b51d15f579953c61a883e1357e5aeccdcb174927.jpeg\")
Atem\u2019s \u201cWhat we are given\u201d (2024) was commissioned by the National Maritime Museum, Amsterdam.Atong Atem<\/p>\n
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