“Australian Life” … Sydney Awards & Exhibition Including “Covid Vax & Ice Cream” …

… this is the way to display photographers work !

Just spent a few days in Sydney town to take in the opening of the 2022 “Australian Life” photographic awards and exhibition in Hyde Park … and it’s a cracker ! 

The work of twenty eight selected award Finalists … very gratifyingly including my “Covid Vax & Ice Cream” portrait of Yarrabah’s Leanne Bulmer …  are showcased along one of Hyde Park’s main pedestrian thoroughfares. Each work is brilliantly displayed at 2.8 metres wide in massive lightboxes … at dusk the pictorial effect was startling. 

The range of work displayed is diverse, sometimes poignant, sometimes amusing, invariably fascinating and a visual feast. 

Sydney Mayor Clover Moore commented on the event …  “These images are thought-provoking, joyful, harrowing. Each one captures a moment in time somewhere in Australia and together they form a record of the challenges and richness of Australian life”.

The twenty eight works in the exhibition were selected from a total of over seventeen hundred images from around the country. Many Thanks to all the photographers who were selected and made this exhibition ‘special’.

Opening eve, of course, it rained constantly … but since then the weather has been kinder and a constant flow of pedestrians have taken in the show.

If you are unable to visit the exhibition in Sydney you may find all the exhibition images on the City of Sydney website at … https://news.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/photos/australian-life-photography-competition-finalists-2022… but it isn’t as good as ‘being there’.

You can also listen to a two minute audio file on my “Covid Vax & Ice Cream” image … that is available to access by scanning a barcode under the displayed work in Hyde Park … here … https://cityofsydney.wistia.com/medias/cm60fq1d2y

Great to see this City of Sydney – Art & About event return following a two year pandemic hiatus. The exhibit is open to all in Hyde Park (adjacent to St James Station) until October 9th.

Images © Brian Cassey – “Covid Vax & Ice Cream” – top and second from left bottom image (other individual works © the artists) … Thanks (once again) to my subject Leanne.

2022 "Australian Life" photo awards - Hyde Park, Sydney - Art & About - "Covid Vax & Ice Cream" by Brian Cassey

2022 "Australian Life" photo awards - Hyde Park, Sydney - Art & About - "Covid Vax & Ice Cream" by Brian Cassey

2022 "Australian Life" photo awards - Hyde Park, Sydney - Art & About - "Covid Vax & Ice Cream" by Brian Cassey

Q&A & Radio … APL2 Exhibition Launch and Nikon Walkley Win …

Last couple of months have been eventful with the launch and five week run of my latest exhibition ‘A Photographer’s Life – Part Two’ at the Court House Gallery Cairns and a timely corresponding announcement of a win in this years Nikon Walkley Portrait Prize.

Grateful that the combined events seemed to attract a far bit of media attention … and struggled through radio interviews about the work and win with Kier Shorey at ABC Far North, Sarah Speller at Cairns FM 89.1, John MacKenzie at 4CA … (and another that won’t air till next month).

All touched on the work in the exhibition … a little on the Walkley … and the background stories to the images.

First up was Kia Shorey on drive time ABC … (not really at my best in a studio at 7am) … play here (below) if you have seven minutes of the will and patience 😉

The 4CA chat with veteran talk show host John MacKenzie was fairly short … but very useful and straight to the point as is John’s way.

Cairns FM 89.1 host Sarah Speller‘s little natter went a little longer at just on five minutes … and it can be played here …

However, by far the longest interview wasn’t for airing on the radio but was an integral part of the opening eve event of the ‘A Photographer’s Life – Part Two’ exhibition at the heritage listed Court House Gallery. Over a hundred folks witnessed ABC Radio’s talented senior presenter Fiona Sewell host an over forty minute Q&A ‘grilling’ (read interview) in the spacious Court Room of the gallery, where we talked in detail about eight projected images chosen from the thirty seven works that made up the exhibition. Here is all forty three minutes worth …

Thanks all in radio land for supplying the audio files … and Thank You for listening 🙂

‘A Photographer’s Life – Part Two’ at The Court House Gallery …

Now just over two weeks since the doors opened on my latest exhibition … ‘A Photographer’s Life – Part Two’ … and one week since a brilliant official opening eve event at the beautiful venue, the heritage listed Court House Gallery.

Following on from ‘A Photographer’s Life – Part One’ … exhibited at the Head On Photo Festival in Sydney and The Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns in 2017 … there was always going to be a ‘Part Two’.

Essentially a ‘Retrospective’, the ‘Part One’ exhibition featured work selected from my archives … negatives from long forgotten boxes and numerous disk drives … that charted the progression from my first roll of film as a pre-teen, through my first paid media work in London town as a teen and onto my career across the decades producing press work that was published around the planet..

‘Part Two’ is a fundamentally different exhibition of work. It contains a few images that didn’t quite make the space cut for ‘Part One’ – but most of the work is new and made from 2016 up until today. Whilst ‘Part One’ was almost exclusively ‘assigned’ media work the ‘Part Two’ images are much less so. The decline in media work and the lack of media opportunity and funding has meant that much of the new work was made independently, often self funded and sometimes just purely personally observational. The photographs emanated from India, China, Sri Lanka, the United States, Papua New Guinea, the UK … and around Australia, 

An integral part of the new exhibition is the ‘story behind the images’. Each work is accompanied by text explaining how the image came about and why. Many of them are quite personal. Feedback from exhibition visitors so far is that the ‘stories’ added a depth and dimension to the images. Gratifying 🙂

The opening eve event on November 5th was a thoroughly enjoyable big success. An individual exhibition opening record crowd of over a hundred and twenty five crammed ‘standing room only’ in the ‘Court Room’ to witness ABC Radio’s Fiona Sewell ‘grill’ me nicely about eight of the thirty seven exhibition images for about forty five minutes. Many Thanks for hosting the event Fiona.  Great to see friends and colleagues past and present .. many I hadn’t seen in years … turn up for the occasion. Thanks all …

Also launched at the event was the large format high definition limited edition collectors book ‘A Photographer’s Life – Part One & Part Two’ … containing … yes … all the images (85 in all over 88 pages) from both ‘Part One’ and ‘Part Two’. All those who order a copy during the exhibition period (till 11th December) with have their names and an acknowledgment printed in the book … and my scrawled as best I can signature too 😉 . Order at the Court House Gallery office or phone either Dayle on 07 40326621 or the office on 07 40326620.

Greatest respect and massive thanks to Curator Chris Stannard , Dayle Jordon, Megan O’Rourke and the rest of the council team who did a brilliant job hanging and presenting the exhibition. 

The exhibition continues until the 11th December Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am to 4pm … another four weeks to take it in. (If anyone would like a ‘personalised’ tour of the work I will be happy to try and do just that … just contact me.)

Below are images … (impossible in small pics to do justice to the exhibition, the work and the gallery) … of the works on the wall, the opening eve event and the book.

Images © Brian Cassey (4), Brendan Radke (2) & Stacey Carrick (1) (Many Thanks Brendan and Stacey)

 

'A Photographer's Life - Part Two' Exhibition at The Court House Gallery Cairns - by Brian Cassey

'A Photographer's Life - Part Two' Exhibition at The Court House Gallery Cairns - by Brian Cassey

'A Photographer's Life - Part Two' Exhibition at The Court House Gallery Cairns - by Brian Cassey

'A Photographer's Life - Part Two' Exhibition at The Court House Gallery Cairns - by Brian Cassey

'A Photographer's Life - Part Two' Exhibition at The Court House Gallery Cairns - by Brian Cassey

'A Photographer's Life - Part Two' Exhibition at The Court House Gallery Cairns - by Brian Cassey

'A Photographer's Life - Part Two' Exhibition at The Court House Gallery Cairns - by Brian Cassey

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Tears’ At The Perth IRIS Awards …

The ‘IRIS’ awards exhibition … an International biennial art prize acknowledging outstanding contemporary portraiture … opened in Perth on Friday eve at the Perth Centre for Photography Gallery. So pleased to see my ‘Finalist’ selected image “Tears for George Floyd … 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds” (top below) make it’s ‘on the wall’ debut in the fantastic exhibition. (Image © Brian Cassey @brian_cassey)

The award prides itself for “selecting revealing portraits that are unique, original and conceptually stimulating”.

Normally I’d be there at the opening … but no way could I travel early to endure a costly 14 day quarantine on top of airfares etc etc. 

The exhibition works were in the main, indeed, unique in many ways … a great exhibition to be part of.

As I couldn’t attend (thanks to covid), loverly Perth based photographer Andrea Vose very, very kindly sent me pics from the opening eve (below) illustrating my work as it sat on the exhibition walls. Thank You heaps Andrea !!

Images below … “Tears for George Floyd … 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds” © Brian Cassey … Images at Perth Centre for Photography Gallery © Andrea Vose

IRIS Award - for Contemporary Photographic Portraiture, Perth - 'Finalist' - 'Tears for George Floyd ... 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds' by Brian Cassey

IRIS Award - for Contemporary Photographic Portraiture, Perth - 'Finalist' - 'Tears for George Floyd ... 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds' by Brian Cassey

IRIS Award - for Contemporary Photographic Portraiture, Perth - 'Finalist' - 'Tears for George Floyd ... 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds' by Brian Cassey

 

‘On the Wall’ … (Eventually) … in Kuala Lumpur …

This one I really like …

Since 2009 The Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards (KLPA) has annually selected and recognised the best in photographic portraiture from around the World. The work chosen is invariably on the cutting edge and held in the highest regard.

So … to say the least … was undeniably very happy when this years results in the Open award were announced this week … nineteen (compelling and imaginative) works selected from artists in the USA (2), Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands (2), Poland (2), India (2), UK, Italy, Serbia, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Ireland, Spain, Russia … and one selected from Australia … little old me.

Back from it’s trip ‘into space’ in 2019 my ‘Aurukun – Generations’ image was selected in the twenty strong list and will now travel to Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur for a month or so ‘on the wall’ of a prestigious gallery … dates and venue to be arranged at the whims of Covid.

’Aurukun – Generations’ has now received a raft of recognitions in awards and exhibitions … and it very nearly didn’t happen at all. The image was one of dozens made in the troubled Cape York township of Aurukun for a news story. Another was chosen for publication with the story and this pic was quietly forgotten. It was several months later when I revisited the archive, came across it again and realised it’s potential.

It was one of three of my images ‘Sent Into Space’ (literally) by ‘Portrait of Humanity’ in 2019 and it has also been exhibited and recognised widely around the planet. (You can find some of those … herehereherehere … hereherehere … and here .)

The work portrays Aurukun Wik elders Silas and Rebecca Wolmby with their great grand children Shalona and Keola. Sadly Silas has since left us. I did present his family with a large print of the Image when I made it back to the township last year.

It’s been eight years since I last made it to a Kuala Lumpur Finalist list in 2013 … coincidentally with another image made Aurukun way … a portrait of Aak Paul Ngantam stockman Perry Ward entitled ‘Roustabout’ (bottom below).

I travelled to Kuala Lumpur that year for the exhibition opening event. ‘Roustabout’ looked magnificent in a wonderful Petronas Towers gallery setting.

Very sadly (thanks covid), I’m pretty sure that this time around I won’t get to see ‘Aurukun – Generations’ on a KL gallery wall any time soon. (Still a buzz tho’ 😉 )

Images © Brian Cassey – top ‘Aurukun – Generations’, bottom ‘Roustabout’.

 

Kuala Lumpur International Photographic Portrait Prize KLPA 2021 - Finalist - 'Generations - Aurukun' by Brian Cassey

Kuala Lumpur International Photographic Portrait Prize KLPA 2013 - Finalist - 'Aak Paul Ngantam Roustabout' by Brian Cassey

East Side FM Interview … Photojournalism, ‘Paper Tigers’ & ‘Strippers’

As a news piece and as a promo for the 2020 “Works on the Wall’ section of the Head On Photo Festival, I had the pleasure of a lengthy ‘on air’ chat with East Side FM’s journalist Paul Neeson. It aired on the Sydney radio station on the Monday morning of the 9th November … the same time as my personal Head On exhibition “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” (see the blog post and images here) opened to the public in Reservoir Gardens, Paddington.

Paul asked all the right questions … and the subjects discussed crossed photojournalism, portraiture, my work and my current exhibitions “Me Too … (etc)” … and “Paper Tigers” … the exhibition and book on the work of sixty Australian photojournalists that I co-curated with Head On’s Moshe Rosenzveig. “Paper Tigers” is on the walls of the new “Twenty Twenty Six Gallery” in Bondi until the 22nd of November.

The interview, which runs for a little over twenty one minutes, can be accessed here below.

ABC Radio Far North … “A Photographer’s Life – Part One” Interview

On the morning that my exhibition “A Photographer’s Life – Part One” opened in Cairns at The Tanks Arts Centre, I was interviewed by ABC Radio Far North breakfast presenter Kier Shorey. An affable geezer, the interview was a bit of fun and touched on the exhibition, my work and history with a camera etc. it runs for nearly thirteen minutes …

 

“A Photographer’s Life – Part One” at The Tanks …

It has been an absolute pleasure to bring my “A Photographer’s Life – Part One” exhibition back to Cairns. More than half the featured works were made in the Cairns or north Queensland region (the remainder from various parts of the planet).

The work was originally collated as a ‘featured exhibition’ in the 2017 Head On Photo Festival earlier this year and was hosted by the Moran Foundation at the heritage listed Juniper Hall in Paddington, Sydney. The exhibition was selected by eminent photography journalist Alison Stieven-Taylor as one of the top five exhibitions in the festival  (from a total of 147).

When I approached The Tanks curator Chris Stannard with the idea of showing the work in Cairns he didn’t hesitate … and he and his team has worked a miracle to get it up and launched before the years end. I owe Chris and his team … Ulys, Lou, Ivan and the team … a massive vote of ‘Thanks’. Indeed … the exhibition has been ‘tweaked’ since Sydney and, in all honesty, looks significantly better than it did in the gracious surrounds of historic Juniper Hall.

In particular, the camera hardware referred to in the exhibition is featured more prominently at The Tanks … and there also a few ‘kit’ additions. Thanks to a donation by fellow photographer David Hancock, the exhibit now includes the first ever usable digital photojournalist camera from the 90’s … the then massively expensive Kodak Nikon AP NC2000 … and a long forgotten United Press International ‘wire’ drum photo transmitter from the 70’s to the 80’s. These sit alongside a collection of my very used and battered Nikon kits … and examples of my earliest cameras from the very first plastic VP Twin way back when I was a pre teen.

There are also two large TV screens continuously showing five of my video features including the multi award winning “Eyes – the Soul of a Photograph”.

Exhibition opening eve last Friday was wonderful … and I’d like to thank the many who arrived and made it such a great night. TA !

“A Photographer’s Life – Part One” is showing at The Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns till January 30th 2018 … with a short break for Xmas festivities between 23rd December to January 2nd.

Finally … on the day of the exhibition opening I was interviewed on ABC Radio Far North by affable breakfast presenter Kier Shorey … about the exhibition, work and life … and, if you fancy, the near thirteen minute audio is below.

 

 

Images at The Tanks © Brian Cassey

"A Photographer's Life - Part One" - The Tanks, Cairns by Brian Cassey

"A Photographer's Life - Part One" - The Tanks, Cairns by Brian Cassey

"A Photographer's Life - Part One" - The Tanks, Cairns by Brian Cassey

 

Hanging Martin Kantor … What a Difference a Week Makes …

When I first saw images of the initial hanging of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale’s inaugural Martin Kantor Portrait Prize – including my finalist image of Noel Pearson – I was both in a state of shock and devastated.

How could they have got it so wrong …

The framed and mounted works that each individual finalist (all twenty seven of them) had spent considerable time and money on producing for the high profile show, were strewn around tawdry industrial wire fencing, hung back to back with other works of different sizes and not referenced in any cohesive fashion at all. It all looked … as photojournalism journalist Alison Stieven-Taylor wrote … “like amateur hour”. It was, indeed,  awful …

I penned messages explaining my concerns and opinions to several of the accomplished fellow finalists I knew … and they unanimously agreed. From there we decided to collectively bring our concerns to the BIFB hierarchy. I managed to find contact details for most of the Martin Kantor finalists and penned a lengthy letter (with the fine sub-editing skills of Tony Kearney) outlining our total disappointment with the hanging of our work. That letter was emailed to BIFB on Friday morning signed by 18 of the total of 27 finalists.

Credit, as they say … credit where credit is due. By Friday afternoon BIFB Festival and Creative Director Fiona Sweet delivered an apology to all of us, agreed with our concerns and promised to correct the situation. Using a new design of a hastily contacted architect (Moloney Architects) the exhibition was totally transformed and rehung … and reopened on Tuesday morning just over three days after the delivery of our collective email. The exhibition now looks worthy of the wonderful portraits of prominent Australians produced by Australia’s most accomplished photographic portraitists. Much Thanks for putting it all to rights BIFB.

Below … at top …  (Thanks to Alison Stieven-Taylor ©) … my Martin Kantor finalist work ‘Noel Pearson’ as initially hung in Ballarat Town Hall … and below … the revamped exhibition as it was reopened on Tuesday morning (courtesy BIFB ©) with my ‘Noel Pearson’ portrait now far left.

Martin Kantor Portrait Prize - exhibition rehang - Ballarat International Foto Biennale - Brian Cassey

Martin Kantor Portrait Prize - exhibition rehang - Ballarat International Foto Biennale - Brian Cassey