This week on Photojournalism Now: Friday Round Up – part one of the Head On Photo Festival preview. The tenth edition of Head On, Australia’s largest and most prestigious photography festival, opens on Friday 3 May and promises a visual feast. This week a preview of some of the Australian artists on show. Next week the International line up.
Feature:
Head On Photo Festival – Sydney
There is an extraordinary selection of exhibitions for the tenth showing of Head On Photo Festival which runs 3-19 May (some shows are on for longer so check the website). There are also artist talks and the Head On Conversations including a panel discussion Truth, Lies and Censorship which I am moderating on Sunday 5 May at 1.45pm. Book here.
And now to the exhibitions. Here are a few that you might like to put on your “must see” list.
Premiere and book launch
Paul Blackmore – Heat
Heat is the latest book and collection from renowned photojournalist Paul Blackmore. I am super keen to see this show and the printed book which includes a few words from me! Opening on Wednesday 1 May with an artist’s talk on Saturday 4 May at the Festival Hub. Check website for details.
1-12 May Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach
Luke Hardy – Foxfires [kitsune-bi]
Sydney visual artist Luke Hardy continues to push boundaries using photography to wander between the realms of documentary and the imaginary. In Foxfires (kitsune-bi) he brings to life tales of foxes, the “poets of beguilement” in Japanese folklore. He says, “these images boast no social relevance; they continue my exploration of ritual, altered states and the darker side of beauty. Peruse them and make your own stories.”
Until 11 May
Stanley Street Gallery, 1/52-54 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Dr Ella Dreyfus – Under Twenty-Seven
In this series of portraits Dr Dreyfus follows the same group of males as they move through childhood to adulthood – from boyhood (2005), adolescence (2012) and into young men (2019).
1-26 May
Watt Space Gallery, Newcastle
Juno Gemes – the Quiet Activist: Survey Exhibition 1979-2019
Drawing from Juno Gemes extraordinary archive of photography, film, publications and artists books, this survey exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to experience the scope of her vision. Gemes is renowned for her critical eye, her passion for the visual and also her commitment to social justice narratives.
4 May to 28 June
Macquarie University Art Gallery, 19 Eastern Road Macquarie University
David Dare Parker – Exodus: Rohingya Refugee Crisis Bangladesh
Award-winning photojournalist David Dare Parker went to Cox’s Bazaar District, Bangladesh, in November-December 2017 as a freelancer. This seasoned conflict photographer says, “It was hard to imagine how such hatred could be directed towards the people sitting in front of us. These were simple villagers, not insurgents. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, husbands, wives and children: all of the survivors of the unimaginable…every person we met that had a story to tell, wanted to tell it. Their stories were consistent. They want the world to know what they have been through.”
Artist talk: 11am Saturday 4 May, Festival Hub, Paddington Town Hall
4-26 May
Delmar Gallery, 144 Victoria Street, Ashfield
Group Shows:
Loud & Luminous: 100 Australian Women Photographers
Curated by Loud & Luminous founders, Hilary Wardhaugh and Melissa Anderson, this group show is designed to celebrate and promote the “contribution women photo-based artists and photographers have made to Australia.”
4-19 May, Festival Hub
Exposed
A group show featuring the work of over 40 Australian women and non-binary street photographers curated by the Unexposed Collective.
2-8 May
Project Gallery 90, 90 Oxford Street Paddington
Photojournalism Now 
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