Still On … “A Photographer’s Life” & Head On …
There is still time left to visit “A Photographer’s Life – Part One” … my featured Head On Photo Festival 2017 exhibition in Sydney.
Despite the dual events of my exhibition opening and the festival opening now well over two weeks ago, both events are still going strong for yet another couple of weeks.
The launch of “A Photographer’s Life – Part One” on the beautiful walls of historic Juniper Hall (completed by convict settler Robert Cooper in 1824) surpassed expectations. Really special was the attendance of bloody brilliant news photographer colleagues Phil Hillyard, David Gray, Rick Stevens, Glenn Campbell, Dean Lewins, Michael Amendolia and Paul Blackmore (there’s an astonishing number of ‘Walkleys’ amongst that lot!).
The following day, Sunday, saw the obligatory exhibition ‘artist talk’ … and a couple of surprises. As the crowd gathered two old friends materialised that I had not seen for many years. Turning up unannounced in support (or to heckle) were … old mate from the Brisbane years way back – Jules Kovacs … and the eternally lovely Barbara Sotiriadis from the early days in Cairns. Wonderful …
Apart from the obvious exhibition opening, visiting amazin’ exhibitions and catching up with a host of great photographers and friends that I don’t see often enough or at all … a highlight of my week at Head On was to take a place on the panel in the festival key debate on the topical subject “Does photojournalism facilitate or counteract fake news?”.
Felt distinctly honoured to take a place on the panel alongside US documentary photographer Maggie Steber, Israeli photographer Natan Dvir, social media expert Kyla Woods, photojournalist and founder of Everyday Climate Change James Whitlow Delano and founder of Everyday Japan Q. Sakamaki … whilst Melbourne photography journalist Alison Stieven-Taylor took on the ‘moderation’ task. The top floor of The Beauchamp Hotel venue was packed for the vigorous and constructive hour plus of discussion. Great fun …
Perhaps it’s timely to say a huge ‘Thanks’ to Head On driving forces Moshe Rosenzveig and Anita Schwartz, Lauran Vohmann and the rest of the HO crew … also the great team at the Moran Foundation’s Juniper Hall headed by Cathy Brown and Craig Brush … and Sonja and Chris at Arthead Mossvale for their brilliant work printing the exhibition. Really appreciate all your collective efforts to make it such a success.
“A Photographer’s Life – Part One” continues at Juniper Hall, 250 Oxford St, Paddington 10am to 4pm Wednesdays to Sundays till June 4th.
Pics … from top … “A Photographer’s Life – Part One” opening event at Juniper Hall (top two), a bunch of very talented photojournalists (and me) at the exhibition opening (l to r – David Gray, Rick Stevens, Michael Amendolia, myself, Dean Lewins, Glenn Campbell and Phil Hillyard), Head On director Moshe Rosenzveig opens my exhibition, the photojournalism debate panel at the Beauchamp Hotel (l to r – Alison Steven-Taylor, Natan Dvir, Q. Sakamaki, Maggie Steber, James Whitlow Delano, myself and Kyla Woods), a couple of the walls of my exhibition at Juniper Hall … and a promotional work outside the Moran offices in the Sydney CBD.
Images © Brian Cassey (6), Michael Amendolia (1) and John Swainston (1)
“Paper Tigers” … Being There … and Not Being There …
Only TWO more days (Saturday and Sunday) to see the “Paper Tigers” exhibition … the work of sixty of Australia’s fine photojournalist contingent … on the walls of the ‘Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’ in Bondi, Sydney.
The Head On Photo Festival “Paper Tigers” featured exhibition was a year in the making … and made it’s debut strictly ‘online’ earlier in May this year. Covid postponed the physical exhibition of works … until now.
Each of the sixty contributors supplied images they seemed most appropriate … and Head On’s founder/director Moshe Rosenzveig OAM and myself curated the selections down to a single image from each. The result is a fascinating multi faceted collection of Australian photojournalism from across the decades.
To quote the Head On web site … “The exhibition celebrates photojournalism at a time when the need for truthful journalism has never been more critical and takes us back to critical moments through recent Australian and world history, and the images by which we remember them”.
These are the sixty so talented contributors that made it happen … Alex Coppel, Andrew Chapman, Angela Wylie, Ashley Crowther, Barbara McGrady, Ben Bohane, Brendan Beirne, Brian Cassey, Chris Hopkins, Craig Golding, Craig Greenhill, Darrian Traynor, Dave Tacon, David Dare Parker, David Gray, Dean Lewins, Dean Sewell, Delly Carr, Eddie Safarik, Edwina Pickles, Gerrit Fokkema, Glenn Campbell, Glenn Lockitch, Grant Wells, Helga Salwe, Ilana Rose, Jaime Murcia, Jake Nowakowski, Janie Barrett, Jessica Hromas, John Donegan, John French, Justin McManus, Louise Kennerley, Luis Ascui, Mark Crusty Baker, Martine Perret, Max Mason Hubers, Meredith O’Shea, Merv Bishop, Michael Amendolia, Michael Coyne, Moshe Rosenzveig, Nic Walker, Nick Moir, Nicola Bailey, Noel Butcher, Paul Blackmore, Penny Stephens, Peter Solness, Richard Wainwright, Rick Stevens, Rob Maccoll, Robert McFarlane, Simon O’Dwyer, Stephen Dupont, Sylvia Liber, Tim Page, Tobias Titz and Tracey Nearmy. Thank You All …
Thanks to Covid-19, many could not make it to the exhibition opening last Saturday in Bondi. However, ‘Paper Tigers’ contributor photojournalists Dean Sewell, Ben Bohane, Mark ‘Crusty’ Baker, Tracey Nearmy, Glen Lockitch, Michael Amendolia and, of course, Head On’s Moshe Rosenzveig were present to celebrate … lucky them ! The former curator of photography at The State Library of New South Wales, Alan Davies, was also on hand at the opening to cast his experienced eye over the works.
I was really gutted that I couldn’t make the journey to Bondi myself … and to visit Paddington Reservoir Gardens where my other exhibition “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” was also ‘on the wall’ as part of the photo festival. Them’s the breaks … but more is in the pipeline for this significant and historic exhibition down the track.
Time is now running out … just two days to take in “Paper Tigers” at ‘Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’ in Bondi … go see it.
NB … For the many that couldn’t (or can’t) make it to the physical exhibition of works on the wall, the “Paper Tigers” book (see bottom image below) is available to order on the Head On Photo Festival web site at … https://www.headon.com.au/product/paper-tigers-book
Image © Brian Cassey … my work ‘Abdullatif’ with Alan Davies and Glen Lockitch – top © Michael Amendolia … gallery panorama © Michael Amendolia … bottom two (including “Paper Tigers” book) © Moshe and the Head On Photo Festival