Gallery 1
11 - 22 November 2026
Opening Night
13 November | 6 - 8 pm
The exhibition closes at 3 pm on the final day.
ARTIST STATEMENT
The True Colours Fine Art Photographic Series began in 2008 and has evolved over the last couple of decades. The images are colourful and vibrant, and the series celebrates a feeling where everything is possible. The work echoes Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz - stepping out of the ordinary and discovering colour, possibility and adventure.
The first time Fine Art Photographer Tonina Ryan experienced Sydney's city streets at Mardi Gras, it was a warm, glowy afternoon, and it felt as if a blanket of stardust had embraced everyone there. The celebration of self-expression and recognition felt important in a world that can sometimes be oppressive and mechanical. The works in the series are alive with abstracted colour and shapes as well as real feeling and ideas.
Oxford St is gritty; the girls are so pretty and the boys prettier! They come out to play and have their say, as the parade’s roots lie in both protest and celebration, going back 30 years before the series began. The first year the artist was there, she met a young man from a country town dressed as Dorothy. He said it was the best day of his life. At home, he felt different; here, he could celebrate it. He’d found the Yellow Brick Road and chosen a colourful path. The True Colours series began.
As a Photographic Artist, Tonina captures life's less ordinary moments. She considers: ‘Life can be like a parade of events, and we will march on till it’s over. Perhaps we should be who we truly are and shine brightly in life’s parade.
The Series celebrates Primary colours, big cities. Big life parade – where people are not afraid. In this Hollywood Street Drama, everyone can have a cameo. Stars in the day, beaming bright. Explosion of colour in this life –where problems and horrors are rife, beauty and the frivolous are a raft.
Beauty -glitter- sunlight bursts out of the series. The series celebrates dance, love and a sense of aliveness and freedom.
There is a sense of technicolour days.
Glitter in day and stardust at night.
People who know how to find delight.
Photographing people who know how to show their true colours
And their true colours are beautiful.
In a moment of synchronicity, one year, the artist met Cyndi Lauper when Cyndi was performing at Mardi Gras.
She was open, fun, friendly and funny.
"And I see your true colours
Shining through
I see your true colours
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show.
Your true colours
True colours are beautiful.
I see your true colours.
Shining through (true colours)
I see your true colours.
And that's why I love you.
So don't be afraid to let them show.
Your true colours
True colours are beautiful (they're beautiful)
Like a rainbow.”
ARTIST BIO
Tonina Ryan is an Australian-based photographer who sees the world through a poetic lens.
She is a Fine Art Photographer who creates photographic images with a sense of awe, fun, and curiosity. She captures not just what something looks like, but how it feels. She is driven to create beauty.
She has a background in network television and a strong artistic drive. Her photographs capture moments of connection between people and environments. Empathy is her spark. She is drawn to colour, vitality, and beauty.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies. She also studied at Photography Studies College Melbourne, where her first lecturer called her 'A modern-day Renee Ellis.'
She was a finalist for the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize 2021 and has been exhibited at the Monash Gallery of Art. She was selected for the International Urban Photography Art Prize in 2021, 2023, and 2024. She has also been a multiple Highly Commended Photographer for Photographer of the Year 2024, and has been shown at the Linden Gallery, Melbourne and Artopia Gallery, Sydney.
