Justin Speirs

“To die in song” 27.03.2026 - 22.04.2026

"What our children have to fear is not the cars on the highways of tomorrow but our own pleasure in calculating the most elegant parameters of their deaths." - J. G. Ballard

Justin Spiers’ exhibition, To die in song, explores the environment of the Gothic fairytale as a liminal space, in which the subject represents a state of transition between past, present and future.

In one work he depicts his son Frank standing solemnly on an outcrop of rocks next to a creek, seemingly struggling with the swan, as if caught in a moment of transformation or introspection. In the background is the fairytale trope of the forest, a foreboding and otherworldly presence in the exhibition, which further reinforces the surreal and uncertain nature of the images. Yet the ambiguity of the narrative allows the meaning of the work to remain fluid as if in a dream state. The exact time and place of the photograph remain unknown, caught between two invisible points of the story.

Although liminality is commonly associated with abandoned or depopulated environments, Spiers’ recurring image of his son Frank and the black swan conveys a similar sense of unease and statelessness in the urban green space. The sparseness in the subject continues throughout the show in the form of a solitary black swan, photographed in monotone, floating on the water's surface. The bird itself is a spiritual symbol of transformation and enlightenment commonly used in European folklore. Most notably appearing in the Grimms Brothers' fairytale Die Sechs Schwäne(The Six Swans), in which a princess's stepmother turns her six brothers into swans. Like the fairytale, Spiers’ swan also evokes a feeling of being trapped in two forms, both real and imagined. The swan's head is either shown submerged or raised above the water, captured by the photograph in a state of permanent stasis.

- Philip Madill, 2026

Justin Spiers is a photographer living in Dunedin, New Zealand. He has previously exhibited within Australasia at galleries including The Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, A Gallery (Dunedin), Fremantle Arts Centre, RDS Gallery (Dunedin), Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Australian Centre for Photography (Sydney), Blue Oyster Art Project Space, Waikato Museum and Caochangdi PhotoSpring Festival (Beijing) 

You can view Justin’s available work here