Melissa Miles

Position title

• Research Fellow, Theory of Art & Design

Qualifications

• PhD Monash
• BA Hons Monash

Statement

Melissa Miles’ research spans art history, critical theory, philosophy and cultural studies. Her forthcoming book, The Burning Mirror: Photography in an Ambivalent Light, assesses how light can be used as a tool for developing a new approach to photography. This study brings together practical, historical and theoretical modes of analysis, and includes an examination of photographs, philosophies and histories from the nineteenth century to the present. Melissa’s essays are published regularly in the Australian arts press, and explore diverse aspects of contemporary art with a particular focus on Australian art.

Research/Professional activities

Book Chapter

• ‘Peter Booth and the Subtleties in the Epic’, in Julie Ewington (ed.), Brought to Light II: Contemporary Australian Art 1966-2006. Brisbane: Queensland Art Gallery, 2007.

Refereed Articles

• ‘Sun-pictures and Shadow-play: Untangling the Web of Gendered Metaphors in Lady Elizabeth Eastlake’s ‘Photography,’ Word and Image, [forthcoming - due for publication in 2008].
• ‘The Burning Mirror: Photography in an Ambivalent Light,’ Journal of Visual Culture, Volume 4, Number 3, 2005, pp 329-349.
• ‘Shirin Neshat and the Limits of Authenticity,’ Southern Review, Volume 37, Number 1, 2004, pp. 5-20.

Recent Published Essays

• ‘Lily Hibberd. Endless Summer: Sunglasses and the Spectacle of Vision,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 64, Spring 2007, pp. 38-39.
• ‘Peta Clancy: Skin and the Supple Boundaries of Self,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 61, Spring 2006, pp. 44-45.
•  ‘Sally Smart: The Exquisite Pirate,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 60, Winter 2006, pp. 38-39.
• ‘‘The Darkened Tomb of Memory’: Lisa Tomasetti’s Photography,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 59, Summer 2005-2006, pp. 16-18. 
• ‘Illusions of Grandeur: Highlights of the 2005 Melbourne International Festival Visual Arts Program,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 59, Summer 2005-2006, pp. 45-47. 
• ‘Alternative Spaces, Alternative Histories: Revisiting Three Artist-Run Initiatives,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 58, Spring 2005, pp. 25-27.
•  ‘Graham Fletcher’s Infectious Hybridity,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 57, Winter 2005, pp. 57-58. 
•  ‘Spatial Collaborations: New Commissions at ACCA,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 56, Summer 2004/2005,pp. 38-40
•  ‘Danielle Thompson: Marks of Light,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 53, Summer 2003 – 2004, pp. 30-31.
• ‘Peter Kennedy: Urban Illuminations,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 52, Spring 2003, pp. 25-27.

Recent Catalogue Essays

• Sally Smart: The Exquisite Pirate, exhibition catalogue, Sydney: Kaliman Gallery, 2007.
• Peter Booth, Melbourne: The Melbourne Art Fair Awards for the Visual Arts, 2007.
• Unwritten Skin, exhibition catalogue, Sydney: Byron McMahon Gallery, 2007.
• Inhabitation, exhibition catalogue, Melbourne: Australian Galleries, 2006.
• Danielle Thompson: Place, essay accompanying video work on DVD, Launceston, 2005.
• Danielle Thompson: Solace, exhibition catalogue, Sydney: Stills Gallery, 2005.

Recent Reviews

• ‘Perfect for Every Occasion: Photography Today,’ Flash, March-June 2007, pp.5-6.
• ‘Mathew Sleeth: Pictured,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 61, Spring 2006, p. 58.
• ‘Satellite of Love (I Like to Watch Things on TV),’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 58, Spring 2005, p. 45.
•  ‘Transitions: Space and Perception,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 57, Winter 2005, p. 46. 
•  ‘The Line Between Us: The Maternal Relation in Contemporary Photography,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 56, Summer 2004/2005, pp. 50-51.
• ‘City of Light: Paris and Photography 1850s-1930s,’ Eyeline: Contemporary Visual Arts, Number 55, Spring 2004, pp. 48-49.

Recent Conference Papers

•  ‘Contemporary Taxonomies: Conceptual Documentary and the Photobook,’ Art Association of Australia and New Zealand (NSW Chapter) Conference, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 14 July 2007.
• ‘Staring at the Sun: Light, Glare and Presence in Contemporary Australian Photography,’ Art Association of Australia and New Zealand conference, Faculty of Art & Design, Monash University, Caulfield, 9 December 2006.