Let's do the time warp: Melbourne through the lens of Rennie Ellis

A new photography exhibition at State Library Victoria is set to take Melburnians back to the '70s, '80s and '90s, where they can relive the city's culture, fashion and nightlife as captured by iconic photographer Rennie Ellis.

Melbourne Out Loud: Life through the lens of Rennie Ellis will feature 450 candid shots of celebrities, socialites, sporting events, cultural gatherings and streetlife, displayed as large-scale projections, set to a fabulous retro soundtrack created by DJ MzRizk.

From BMX Bandits and shirtless crowds at an '80s Boxing Day Test, to the fashion and nightlife of '90s Chapel Street and bronzed Aussies soaking up the sun at Middle Park. Melbourne Out Loud captures the carefree and creative spirit of Melbourne from times gone by.

Images of musicians such as John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, Nick Cave, and Lou Reed are also featured. However, it is the ordinary people of Melbourne who are the real stars of the exhibition, with Rennie's early street photography capturing what it meant to be a Melburnian in the '70s, '80s and '90s.

Melbourne Out Loud curator Ange Bailey said the exhibition is a celebration of Rennie's love for the city and its people.

"For nearly four decades, Rennie Ellis captured Melburnians at work and play, often at our riotous and flamboyant best. Melbourne Out Loud is an insight into Rennie's photography practice, balancing his high-energy colour photographs with an intimate look at his early black-and-white photography."

State Library Victoria Exhibitions Manager Michelle Moo said:

"Melbourne Out Loud is a joyous, celebratory take on Rennie's work. The exhibition includes 10 vignettes dedicated to Melbourne scenes captured as only Rennie could. The nightclubs, fashion, music, street life, the beach, our love of sport, and subcultures of the era are brought to life in all their exuberance, set to an incredible soundtrack designed by Third Axis Salon and featuring DJ MzRizk's mixes of golden hits."

During his long career from the 1960s to the early 2000s, Ellis recorded the diversity of life in Melbourne. He captured powerful images of activism and protest around women's and gay liberation, as well as the anti-mining and anti-nuclear movements. Rennie Ellis is also known for opening one of Australia's first private photography galleries: the Brummels Gallery in South Yarra.

Over half a million Rennie Ellis photographs are part of the Victorian State Collection, making it the largest photographic collection ever acquired by the Library. Melbourne Out Loud will showcase the most recent images acquired, which have not yet been digitised or catalogued.

State Library VictoriaCEO Paul Duldig said Melbourne Out Loud is an irresistible trip down memory lane.

"Melbourne Out Loud shows Rennie's role as a committed social chronicler of his time, famous for his uncensored snaps of Melbourne at play. Many will know Rennie's shots of celebrities and socialites, but it's his work capturing the lives of Melbourne's everyday people – the street life of Fitzroy and St Kilda, the scenes at Flinders Street Station and the MCG, that make this such a special exhibition.

The Rennie Ellis collection is a vital part of the state's collective memory. We hope visitors will step into Rennie's world and celebrate our great city."

Melbourne Out Loud runs from 1 March 202 4to 28 January 2025 as part of the annual PHOTO 2024 festival, which takes place in venues across Melbourne and regional Victoria. This year's festival invites audiences to imagine the world as it could be, and to explore how current actions and activism are shaping future realities.

For more information, visit Melbourne Out Loud.

Interviews are available with Melbourne Out Loud curator Angela Baile.