Exhibitions | Blog | Brian Cassey Photographer Cairns Australia

Two in Show …

May 3rd, 2012

Just received the news that two of my images – “Rajasthan Dancers” and “Carol – Burns Survivor” – have been selected as ‘Finalists’ in the United States based “2012 Kellicutt International Juried Photo Show – Through A Lens: Vibrant!”.

My images, along with other finalists from the US, the UK, Australia, India, Hong Kong, Canada and Puerto Rico, are part of the hanging exhibition that will be shown in galleries around California.

Prize winners will be announced during an awards ceremony at the Coastal Arts League Gallery in Half Moon Bay CA on July 7th before the exhibition moves to the Calumet Gallery in San Francisco in August.

You can see all the selected finalists images at … http://www.coastalartsleague.com/kellicutt/2012/HangingInShow/index.html … and I’m in some very good company. The selected photographs seem to cross almost all photographic disciplines and styles and will provide a fascinating exhibition. Just a pity I probably won’t be there to see it!

Below I’ve posted the two images selected as ‘Finalists’ – “Rajasthan Dancers” and “Carol – Burns Survivor”

Images © Brian Cassey

Posted in Awards, Comment, Exhibitions, Images, Travel | Tagged awards, india, Kellicutt International Photo Show, portraits, United States | Leave a comment

Portraits on a Bus …

April 24th, 2012

The ‘fotostrada’ photojournalist collective – of which I am one member of a total of eleven - is showing a group exhibition entitled “Portraits on a Bus” as part of the “2012 Head On Photo Festival” .

The exhibition runs at the Global Gallery, Paddington, Sydney from Tuesday, 29th May to Sunday 3rd June with the grand opening eve on Wednesday 30th May from 6pm. All are welcome to attend.

Here’s the exhibit description from the Head On Festival program and web site …

“The bus is ubiquitous. Every country on the planet has some form of bus transportation.

From cramped roof top rides on dishevelled buses in India … to tiny ‘bemos’ in Indonesia, mundane mass transport in Hong Kong, luxury express buses in Australia … even a work bus in Antarctica – the ‘fotostrada’ collective team has captured all in images which convey the very essence of the travelling bus passenger and the machines that carry them.”

Several of my images made during visits to India, Hong Kong and Indonesia are featured in the exhibition alongside other great work by colleagues Dean Lewins, Tracey Nearmy, Graham Crouch, Sam Mooy, Renee Nowytarger, Mark ‘Crusty’ Baker and Melanie Russell.

I’ve put together my own personal extended version of “Portraits on a Bus” from all my images that made the short list for the exhibition collection … and this essay has been added to my personal web site at http://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/images.php?imagefolder=bus.

Posted below is a small selection of my “Portraits on a Bus” images.

Look forward to seeing you at the exhibition …

Images © Brian Cassey – from Hong Kong, Rajasthan India and Sukawati Bali Indonesia.

Posted in Comment, Essays, Exhibitions, Images, Travel | Tagged bali, essay, exhibition, fotostrada, Global Gallery, Head On, Head On Festival, hong kong, india, indonesia, photojournalism, Portraits on a Bus | Leave a comment

Walkley Mag Splash …

March 2nd, 2012

The Walkley Magazine has published my “Soulless in Seoul” pic essay (retitled “Sleepless in Seoul”) as a double page spread in the centre of this months new edition. A great layout and a great shop window.

The images in the essay show the plight of the hundreds of homeless who are currently being evicted from Seoul Railway Station and precinct by South Korea’s super efficient state rail authority Korail.

Bizarrely, Korail have stated that the homeless pose a ‘terrorist threat’. In the latest twist the newly elected mayor of Seoul has asked Korail to reverse the decision to evict – but Korail have no intention of doing so.

I came across the sorry story during a brief stopover in Seoul whilst returning from exhibiting my work “Cage Dogs of Hong Kong” at the Gwangju Design Biennale in the south of South Korea.

Below I’ve posted an image of the Walkley Magazine spread and one larger image from the essay.

The full “Soulless in Seoul” essay can be viewed on my personal website at http://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/images.php?imagefolder=seoul … and on the web site of my collective ‘fotostrada’ at http://www.fotostrada.com/#/brian-cassey/soulless-in-seoul/BCSeoul1s

Posted in Essays, Exhibitions, Images, Publications, Travel | Tagged asia, essay, homeless, Korail, photojournalism, poverty, Seoul, social injustice, South Korea, walkley, Walkley Magazine | Leave a comment

Nikon-Walkley Comes to ‘Brissie’ …

February 14th, 2012

Thanks to the Walkley Foundation, the MEAA and – not least of all – Nikon Australia, I travelled ‘down south’ to Brisbane last week to attend the opening of the 2011/2012 Nikon-Walkley Photographic exhibition at the Powerhouse – and the Australian Institute of Professional Photography “Hair of the Dog” conference.

It was excellent to attend the Nikon-Walkley opening eve and to catch up with colleagues and friends – and an honour to give the opening floor talk and to receive an embarrassingly over the top introduction by MEAA Federal Secretary Chris Warren ! Thanks Chris!

It was also an honour to have my image “Carol – Burns Survivor” exhibited amongst some truly fantastic work from Australia’s best press photographers.

(Something I was not so excited about was the ABC radio and TV interviews I was required to do – a learning curve.)

The Powerhouse is a fantastic exhibition space oozing character, all the works were all very well lit … and the staff were super attentive and efficient.

The exhibition runs to February 27th and is very well worth a visit.

Below is an iPhone pic of my image nestled in the Powerhouse’s beautiful exhibition space.

Image © Brian Cassey 2012

Posted in Awards, Essays, Exhibitions, Images, Travel | Tagged australia, award, Brisbane, exhibition, image, images, photographs, walkley, Walkley Awards | Leave a comment

2 Responses to Nikon-Walkley Comes to ‘Brissie’ …

Wade Says:
February 14th, 2012
Congratulations Brian. Looks like a novel space too – what, no plain white walls?
Brian Cassey Says:
February 14th, 2012
Thanks Wade … yeah … great space … If ever I get my act together for my own exhibition … !!!!

A Little Chat at the Walkley Media Conference …

November 29th, 2011

Last week I was fortunate (and honoured) to be invited to be a part of the Walkley Media Conference – “What’s the Story? Inventing the Future” – in Brisbane. Felt rather humble to be part of a great list of speakers that included the ABC’s Mark Scott, Greg Hywood (CEO of Fairfax Media), well known humourist and journalist Wendy Harmer – and many distinguished others – all of whom, I’m sure, had more experience in this ‘speaking’ lark than I !

My session was scheduled for three and a half hours … (and went for four! – didn’t realise I could talk that long!) and touched on the changes in media photography over the last decades, the state of play today, how to handle the difficulties encountered and what we may expect in the future. A mix of about two dozen journalists, photographers and students patiently listened and asked a myriad of thoughtful questions over the session. I thank them for their attention ! (‘Thanks’ is also due to Nikon’s Quentin Visentin who demonstrated the new Nikon 1 kit to the audience.)

My congratulations and ‘Thanks’ also to the MEAA and the Walkley Foundation for a fantastic conference!

Of course … my highlight of the Brisbane visit was the 2011 Walkley Awards presentation at the Convention & Exhibition Centre on Sunday eve. A brilliant night to be a part of – very gratified to receive the recognition of the Nikon Walkley Best Portrait Award for my image ’Carol – Burns Survivor’ – and to share the evening with talented press photographers Glenn Campbell, Craig Greenhill, Stuart McEvoy, Rob Maccoll, Nev Madsen, the Getty guys, 2011 Nikon Walkley Press Photographer of the Year Phil Hillyard … as well as many journalist and industry colleagues. Great Night!

Whilst searching for material for my conference session I came across one of the very first photographs I ever took … at the age of about ten or eleven … and my first ever camera that made that image – a bakelite VP Twin camera that was bought (begrudgingly by my parents) from Woolworths in the Isle of Wight for two shillings and six pence ! (about fifty cents). I’m NOT telling anybody how long ago that actually WAS … but below I’ve posted the image (of the Cunard liner “RMS Queen Elizabeth” in the Solent UK – I was a boy into ships and trains at that stage!) and a pic of the camera. I used both images at the commencement of the Walkley Conference session.

Posted in Awards, Comment, Exhibitions | Tagged Brian Cassey, Brisbane, photojournalism, teaching, Walkley Awards, Walkley Media Conference | Leave a comment

Gwangju Biennale – South Korea …

September 12th, 2011

Returned last Thursday from a rewarding trip to Gwangju in South Korea where I was asked to exhibit my work on the cage homes of Hong Kong – “Cage Dogs” – at the Gwangju Design Biennale 2011. The total exhibit included a reconstruction of three 6 foot by two and a half foot wire cage ‘homes’ set on a floor plan where eighteen cages would be set. The minimalist feel to the exhibit added to it’s poignancy and it slotted it well alongside many other startling exhibits.

The theme of this years Biennale is “Dogadobisangdo” (圖可圖非常圖) – “Design is Design is not Design” – inspired by the first words in Do Duk Kyeong (Tao Te Ching, 道德經)’ of No Ja (Lao Tzu, 老子) – ‘The way道 that is the way is not always the way. The name名 that is the name is not always the name.’ – reinterpreted as ‘design is design is not always design and non-design is non-design is not always non-design’.

So there !

Chinese artist, architectural designer (the Olympic “Bird’s Nest” stadium) and activist – Ai Weiwei – is director/curator but was not in attendance as he is under ‘loose detention’ in China and unable to leave Beijing.

Very entertaining and elaborate opening ceremony with many imposing dignitaries and some excellent audiovisual work from renowned DJ Spooky. The Gwangju Design Biennale is expected to attract about a half million visitors to the city that is the centre of the arts and democracy on the Korean Peninsula.

Posted below a pic of the cage home exhibit at the Biennale – and my cage home images ‘Cage Dogs’ can be found here.

Posted in Comment, Exhibitions, Travel | Tagged Cage Dogs, cage homes, cage people, design, exhibit, Gwangju Biennale, Gwnagju, hong kong, South Korea | Leave a comment

Korea – Gwangju Design Biennale – Cage Dogs …

July 31st, 2011

Have been invited to exhibit at Asia’s pre-eminent design and arts expo – the Gwangju Design Biennale in South Korea – with the images I collected from my visits to Hong Kong’s ‘Cage Home’ people. The Biennale team are replicating a Hong Kong cage home flat (which normally house up to 20 individual cage homes) and an actual 6 foot by two and a half foot wire cage ‘home’.

My surrounding exhibited photographs will tell the visual story of some of the tens of thousands of unfortunates who are living their lives in these cramped cages in Hong Kong – acknowledged as one of the World’s richest cities.

I’ve also been invited to give a video presentation … so will be off to Gwangju in southern Korea for the opening event on September 2nd.

Gwangju is Korea’s sixth largest city and the focus for contemporary design and arts on the peninsula and, indeed, Asia. The last Gwangju Design Biennale in 2009 attracted fractionally under half a million visitors.

However, Gwangju city is most noted for the 1980 massacre of (an unofficial figure) of near two thousand pro-democracy student demonstrators by the armed forces, when the city was at the forefront of the democracy movement in South Korea. The people of Gwangju are proud of the uprising and tend to be at the forefront of any political upheaval in the country.

Below I’ve posted just two of the ‘Cage Dogs’ images that will be part of the exhibit at the Biennale. They will link to more cage home images on my web site proper.

Posted in Comment, Exhibitions, Images, Travel | Tagged Cage Dogs, cage homes, cage people, design, exhibit, Gwangju, Gwangju Biennale, South Korea, travel | Leave a comment

It’s Open …

May 21st, 2011

Great evening Wednesday at the Global Gallery, Paddington on the opening of the ‘fotostrada’ exhibition – part of the Head On Photo Festival 2011. All nine members of ‘fotostrada’ displayed work … and four attended in person – Sam Mooy, Tracey Nearmy, Kelly Barnes made the trip up from Adelaide and I travelled down from Cairns. Plenty of other great work at the gallery too from Patrick Tombola, Nadia Janis, Claire Martin and Gemma-Rose Turnbull. The exhibition runs to May 29 so still time to take it all in.

Posted a pic below from the opening eve and, interestingly, this was one of the first frames exposed on my new piece of kit – the Fuji Finepix X100 – which arrived in Sydney that day. When I’ve had more of a play I’ll post ‘first impressions’ on this blog.

Posted in Comment, Exhibitions, Images, New Kit | Leave a comment

Almost …

May 8th, 2011

Visited Sydney this week to attend both the “Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize” and the “Head On Portrait Prize” after two of my images – ‘Cyclone’ and ‘Carol – Burns Survivor’ respectively – were selected as finalists.

In each of the photo prizes 40 finalists were chosen (out of many thousands of entries) and it was, indeed, an honour to be amongst the great work on display and in contention.

Nice surprise then, when ‘Cyclone’ (see earlier blog post ‘Moran Prize…’ for the actual image) – was adjudged “Highly Commended” and runner up to Moran Prize winner Jack Atley – who pocketed a cool hundred grand winners cheque! Unfortunately my award cheque was somewhat way smaller than Jacks!

However, both exhibitions are now under way and very much worth a visit – they both contain magic and inspiring images from Australia’s top photographers and photo artists. You can see all the finalists at the Mitchell Galleries, State Library of New South Wales until 26th June for the Morans … and at the Australian Centre for Photography in Oxford Street, Paddington till June 6th for Head On .

Posted in Awards, Comment, Exhibitions, Images | Leave a comment

Archives

Categories

Links