The Mosman Art Gallery in association with the Sydney Fish Market are delighted to present the groundbreaking expose of life behind the scenes at the largest working seafood market in the southern hemisphere. Photographer, Birgit Neiser has captured the essence of life and work at the Market, documenting its vibrant atmosphere at one of Sydney's premiere, harbourside locations.

Trading over 13 000 tonnes of seafood annually, Sydney Fish Market at Blackwattle Bay is an authentic fisherman's market with over 100 species passing through its auction daily. For most people a visit to the Sydney Fish Market involves a pleasant sensory experience, as the smell of fish and the squawk of seagulls greets the casual visitor. For Birgit Neiser, her behind the scenes photographs reveal an ongoing love affair with the hustle and bustle of the Market and everyone there, from the fishermen to fork lift drivers and oyster shuckers. Glistening stills of the myriad sea life that is sold, prepared and consumed at the Market are also included, providing are a compelling testament to the timeless nature of this maritime industry.

Ever since Birgit Neiser was a young girl in Germany, travelling with her family and later independently as an adult, she found that she was especially drawn to fish markets around the world. With her formal professional background as an economist Neiser has been interested in markets as dynamic places full of life. Whether the markets are stock, free trade or fish, the act of trading has always entranced her. Later, her passion as a student of photography led her to work as a freelance photographer for various European magazines and to continue her studies in New York at the International Center of Photography.

In 2003 Birgit Neiser travelled with her husband and children to Sydney and settled in Mosman. From 2006, she immersed herself in the daily life of the Sydney Fish Market in order to document its energy, its many diverse characters and the tremendous sense of place the market holds within Sydney's food culture.

To compliment the exhibition there will be a series of talks, workshops and tours.