DERBY.- A major survey exhibition and publication featuring the best photographic talents from or within Australia and the United Kingdom is taking place in QUAD Gallery and the Silk Mill in Derby from March 2012. Hijacked III: Contemporary Photography from Australia and the United Kingdom is programmed part of FORMAT International Photography Festival UK off year programme.

Hijacked III offers a chance to take a trip into the fantastic and foreboding worlds of artists from opposite sides of the globe. From oblique takes on portraiture and collage to snapshots of society at its best and worst, these far reaching photographic practices question what it means to look, catch or construct images for the 21st century. A fleeting glimpse into the life and times of both countries and beyond, Hijacked III disrupts the way you think about photography. The exhibition will show simultaneously in QUAD with a partner version at PICA in Perth Australia. Events will include live link ups for workshops and artists talks.

Known for halting the status quo, arresting the scene and exploding a new perspective on the practices of contemporary photography, this is the third edition of the biennale Hijacked series. The exhibition explores the world through the eyes and works of 32 international photographers from or within the United Kingdom and Australia; and also features a series of 10 specially commissioned films about participating photographers, by Troika. The book forms an important, albeit incomplete, A-Z of contemporary photography generated from the two countries and goes some way towards charting the ideas that are being tested in our present future of photography not only in terms of concept but also technique.

Continuing on from the significant success of the first book, Hijacked III follows previous editions exploring the relationship between Australia and America 2008, Australia and Germany 2010, published by Big City Press in Perth. The participating photographers for Hijacked III were sourced by Big City Press, QUAD/FORMAT and PICA, through the use of blogs, social and professional networks. The biennale project supports and engages with a diverse range of contemporary Australian and international photographers, specifically the new generation or under represented, whilst developing experimental contexts for collaboration between established artists internationally. The book will be available in a limited edition at QUAD in March 2012 and on worldwide release in the summer, available through Kehrer Verlag.

Hijacked III is curated and edited by Louise Clements, Artistic Director of QUAD and FORMAT International Photography Festival UK, Mark McPherson, Director Big City Press Aus and Leigh Robb, Curator PICA Australia. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

The exhibition and publication features Australian Artists: Tony Albert, Warwick Baker, Bindi Cole, Christopher Day, Tarryn Gill & Pilar Mata Dupont, Toni Greaves, Petrina Hicks, Alin Huma, Katrin Koenning, David Manley, Jesse Marlow, Tracey Moffatt, Justin Spiers, Michelle Tran, Christian Thompson and Michael Ziebarth. UK Artists featured are: Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, Natasha Caruana, Maciej Dakowicz, Melinda Gibson, Leonie Hampton, Rasha Kahil, Seba Kurtis, Trish Morrissey, Laura Pannack, Sarah Pickering, Zhao Renhui, Simon Roberts, Helen Sear, Luke Stephenson, Wassink & Lundgren, Tereza Zelenkova.

Hijacked III will be on display in QUAD, Derby, from Saturday 3rd March until Sunday 6th May 2012.