“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

'Paper Tigers' - Head On exhibition of Australian photojournalism - co-curated by Moshe Rosenzveig & Brian Cassey

'Paper Tigers' exhibition of Australian photojournalism - co-crated by Brian Cassey & Head On's Moshe Rosenzveig

'Paper Tigers' exhibition of Australian photojournalism - co-crated by Brian Cassey & Head On's Moshe Rosenzveig

'Paper Tigers' exhibition book - published by Head On Photo Festival - by Moshe Rosenzveig & 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.

Two Exhibitions in Sydney … (If Only I Could Get There !) …

Moshe Rosenzveig and the crew of the 2020 Head On Photo Festival performed miracles earlier on this year as Covid-19 tightened it’s grip on Australia and the planet. They transformed a massive ‘venue’ based photography festival into the World’s first ‘On Line’ photo festival in a matter of just a few short weeks … and opened on time in the first weeks of May. The ‘On Line’ awards, artist talks, photography workshops and panel talks were aired on screens to thousands watching and listening around the planet and across Australia. An amazing effort …

With gallery spaces ‘out of bounds’ due to Covid the more traditional (and aesthetically more pleasing) ‘photographs on walls’ exhibitions reluctantly had to be put on ‘hold’.

I had two involvements in this years Head On ‘On Line’ photo festival … a personal exhibition “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” (a photo essay on the performance of male strippers and their female audience) … and the co-curation (with Moshe Rosenzveig) of a project close to the heart … “Paper Tigers” … a collection of the work by sixty of Australia’s finest photojournalists. Both received large views on-line.

Now six months later, as Covid cases thankfully take a massive dive, these two exhibitions and work by many others are showing physically ‘on the walls’ (and fences) in numerous galleries and at venues around Sydney. Brilliant … and astonishing work by Head On !

Very sadly … I can’t ‘B’ well get there ! My Queensland Premier has stood fast to her decision that the borders between the Sunshine State and Sydney will remain firmly shut till (extremely annoyingly) at least the first of December … just days after these exhibitions close. The way of the World in 2020 … but I’m still gutted …

My exhibition “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” opened yesterday on the wall at the fabulously atmospheric venue of the Paddington Reservoir Gardens … and runs there alongside four other great exhibits until the 29th of November. Photographer colleague, mate and gentleman Michael Amendolia went out of his way to lessen the blow of not ‘being there’ by sending me a raft of images of my exhibition in place (below). Thanks Michael !

The “Paper Tigers” exhibition (and the launch of the “Paper Tigers” book) opens at the new ‘Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’ in Bondi tomorrow … with an official opening this Saturday afternoon. Many of my Sydney based colleagues will be attending (lucky them) … whilst us interstate contributors will have to be patient until further opportunities eventuate down the track.

There will be more on ‘Paper Tigers’ … how it came about, what it contains and why it is important … a little later when I receive some images from colleagues who get to attend the gallery …

In the meantime … Paul Neeson from Sydney radio station East Side FM and I had an ‘on air’ chat about my work and both these exhibitions and the Head On Photo Festival in general. It runs for just over twenty one minutes and can be listened to here below. There is also an online text story on “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” here.

 

Damn that bloody virus !

Images © Brian Cassey (two pics from “Me Too … “Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” and my “Paper Tigers” image “Abdullatif” … & … Michael Amendolia (top 2 General Exhibition pics)

Head On Photofestival 2020 - Paddington Reservoir Gardens - "Me Too - Where The Boys Are ... The Girls Are" - exhibition of work by Brian Cassey

Head On Photofestival 2020 - Paddington Reservoir Gardens - "Me Too - Where The Boys Are ... The Girls Are" - exhibition of work by Brian Cassey

Head On Photofestival 2020 - Paddington Reservoir Gardens - "Me Too - Where The Boys Are ... The Girls Are" - exhibition of work by Brian Cassey

Head On Photofestival 2020 - Paddington Reservoir Gardens - "Me Too - Where The Boys Are ... The Girls Are" - exhibition of work by Brian Cassey

Head On Photofestival 2020 - Twenty Twenty Six Gallery - Bondi - "Paper Tigers" - exhibition of work by 60 Australian photojournalists co-curated by Brian Cassey