* PROJECT PARTNER

| Enquiries invited until 30 June

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

An exhibition debut at Sydney Contemporary 2026

The Distance Between:

In 2008, I photographed women whose husbands passed from asbestos-related disease.

Eighteen years later, I’ve returned to photograph and interview the same women — revisiting not only a defining body of work from my early career, but the considerable distance life has travelled in the years between.

“I cried so much going from the cemetery the acid in my tears created furrows in my eyes…

Even in my grave, I will grieve for him.

My father said ‘you are too young to be a widow. You have too much to do in life. Go.’ “

- Nur

“I’ve managed to find gratitude for having Gray in my life for as long as I had him. I’m learning how to live without Gray. That’s my moving on.”

- Noelene

“I don’t know anger.”

- Karen

What happens to identity once the immediate grip of grief subsides?

Nearly two decades later, I returned to the women I first met as a young artist.”

Noelene

Noelene 2008

As the years have greyed my
thinning hair and rounded my teeth,
those same teeth sharpened on my
first body of work, I wonder:  how are
the women I photographed all those
years ago? How has time shaped
their internal journey with grief
following the considerable years
without their husbands?

- Christopher Ireland

Noelene 2026

Nur, 2026

“The photographs moved me to tears not just because of the tragedies each of the
widows (and of course their families) but for showing unheralded love and
commitment experienced in long marriages or partnerships in otherwise
unremarkable lives.”

Praise from the public 2009-2012 on BREATHE’s national tour.

Nur, 2009

“Simply brilliant.”

Karen, 2009

“As a teacher of art I appreciate that these images are of the highest order, they reach beyond the skills and techniques
of photography and get to the essence of what it means to be a human being
suffering the loss of someone dearly loved, each in her own way.” 
Project plans

The work has been selected to premiere at the 2026 Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks - an internationally renowned collective art fair drawing over 25,000 visitors including collectors, institutions, and national media.

Project supporters

Projects of this scale are shaped over time, but they are realised through the support of a small number of considered collaborators.

Design and PR Partner

Freshwater Creative

Beneficiary/ Charity partner

GARDS Victoria

Expressions of interest Open until Jun 30th 2026

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

Support this project

Partnership Enquiry
Pre-order print
Reserve limited catalogue*

* A limited run of 300 signed catalogues will accompany the work. Previous editions have sold out. 100% of proceeds supporting Gippsland Asbestos Related Disease Support. GARDS supports families facing asbestos-related disease with legal guidance, care planning, and counselling.

FAQ

  • Alignment with a project of cultural and social relevance, presented at Sydney Contemporary and in subsequent exhibitions.

    Partners are acknowledged in a considered way across the catalogue and project materials, and are invited into the work through private viewings and direct access to the artist and context.

  • This is a single body of work with a clear voice.

    Maintaining that clarity requires limiting the number of external influences.
    A single partner ensures the work remains coherent while allowing for a meaningful association.

  • The project is inherently media-relevant, given its subject matter and continuity over time.

    Any coverage is led by the work itself, not by commercial messaging.
    Partners benefit from association with that visibility, rather than being positioned as the focus of it.

  • The partnership covers the realisation of the work at exhibition standard—printing, framing, and presentation at Sydney Contemporary.

    It allows the project to be presented properly, without compromise.

    All catalogue proceeds will support GARDS (Gipplsand Asbestos Related Disease Support, Not for Profit organisation.)

    I develop and initiate my projects independently, ensuring full creative control. Partners are then invited to support their realisation, with works ultimately placed with institutional collections and private collectors.

  • Christopher Ireland is one of Australia’s leading long-form photographers, with over two decades of experience across documentary and commercial work.

    His projects have been exhibited nationally and are held in major public collections including the State Library of NSW and Latrobe Regional Gallery.

    Alongside his artistic practice, he has directed internationally recognised campaigns for organisations including Uber, Telstra, Canon and the Australian Defence Force.

  • Yes.

    The original BREATHE project toured nationally and received significant media coverage, including front-page coverage in the Sydney Morning Herald.

    Subsequent projects have been exhibited at Sydney Contemporary and collected by public institutions, with a consistent focus on long-form, human-centred work.

  • Asbestos-related disease is typically understood through legal and financial frameworks.

    This project shifts that perspective.

    By returning to the same individuals after nearly two decades, the work focuses on the long-term human impact—what remains, how lives continue, and how loss evolves.

    It offers a perspective that is rarely seen, but immediately understood.