Head On Photo Festival 2024 returns this November to transform Sydney into a photography paradise with major exhibitions at Bondi Pavilion Gallery and outdoors in Paddington and Bondi Beach.
Every year since 2010, Head On Photo Festival offers an incredible opportunity to experience the artistry of emerging and established Australian and international photographers. It’s a wonderful chance to delve deeper into the world through photography and connect with fellow photography enthusiasts.
Key dates:
- 8 Nov: Festival launch party & announcement of Photo Awards winners
- 9-10 Nov: Opening weekend events
- 9 Nov – 1 Dec: Featured Program exhibitions are open to the public
- 11 Nov: Open Program exhibitions and events
How you can join in
- Volunteer behind the scenes to make the festival happen
- Support and celebrate photography by visiting the exhibitions during the festival
- Bring a friend and celebrate the power of photography at the Head On Photo Festival launch party
The 2024 festival is supported by Create NSW, Waverley Council, City of Sydney, international governments, local small businesses and the private sector.
Select featured exhibitions
View all exhibitions and events✺ Śākti ✺ sky, earth, spirit, body and costume works: a longitudinal study of visual anthropology.
In the 1990s, I was in my twenties and returned home to Malaysia after five years of studying in the US. Soon after I arrived, I realised with alarm that I had somehow forgotten where I ‘came from’.
Dreams of Flying
Crossing the desert on a dog’s back, searching for treasures beneath the ocean, or soaring like Superman through the city – my photographs bring nostalgic dreams to life.
VILLAGE Hearing the Grass Grow
Traditions are disappearing, languages forgotten, and cultures washed away due to urbanisation. This phenomenon is driven by powerful forces: economics, technology, demographics, and, increasingly, climate change.
Wish You Were Here
This series explores vacation culture amidst the climate crisis and how it plays, often unconsciously, into ‘last-chance tourism’ – tourism to destinations irreparably changed by the climate crisis and may eventually vanish altogether. The more tourists visit these environments, the more widespread the climate crisis becomes, and the more last-chance tourism grows.
Featured exhibitors
Solo exhibitors (A-Z by first name)
Aizhen Jiang, Alain Schroeder, Alejandra López Zaballa, Alena Grom, Andrea Agostini, Andrés Gallego, Barbara Strigel, Bruno Fonseca, Christian Barbé, Cristina Fontsare, Diana Lui, Didi von Boch, Donna Squire, Ella Waldman, Filipe Bianchi, Giancarlo Zuccarone & Federica Prina, Jan von Holleben, Jason Au, Jonathan Jasberg, Lorraine Turci, Manuela Federl, Martina Reyes Guilmant, Matthew Ludak, Mert Berdilek, Michael Coyne, Michel Petillo, Milly Hooper, Monia Marchionni, Paul J Ryan, Rachel Nixon, Rodrigo Koraicho, Roland Ramanan, Sam Ferris, Sarah Palmer, SEANOKKAI., Simon Harsent, Stephen Dupont, Tace Stevens, Tom Franks, Viktor Hübner, Xiaohua Zhang
Group exhibitions (A-Z by title)
“As we can, not as we want.” Six new views on Cuba, AddOn, EnEscena, , Head On Exposure Awards, Head On Landscape Awards, Head On Photo Awards Semi-finalists slideshow, Head On Portrait Awards, INTER.Locution, Three contemporary Italian photographers
Open exhibitors
Solo exhibitors in Sydney (A-Z by first name)
Belinda Allen, Beth Baker, Calum York, Chrissie Hall, Claudia Chan Shaw, Dex Shepherd, Fiona Henderson, Gavin Libotte , Glenn Porter, Jean Marc La Roque, Justine Kerrigan, Kyle Hoffmann, Luciano Vranich, Luiza Michalewicz, Matteo Gallo, Michael Magee, Minami Ivory, Nic Watt, Nick Bourdaniotis, Nickolas May, Nina Franova, Peter Solness, Phil Bayly, Sarah Ducker, Sharon Zwi, Tim Anastasi, Zoe Morley, Zorica Purlija
Group exhibitions in Sydney (A-Z by title)
Nudes on TAP, Persona: Unveiling through Portraits
Satellite exhibitions (A-Z by first name)
Heather Petty, James Bryans, Julie Millowick, Maree Tonkin, Martine Perret, Sam Strong, Sarah Black, Scott Fredericks
Select Festival events
View all exhibitions and events2024 Head On Photo Festival launch party
Kickstart our month-long festival of the arts with music, photography, and community on the shores of the dazzling Bondi Beach.
Bridging the gap – First nations photographers
Bridging The Gap brings together three of Australia’s foremost Indigenous photographers to discuss womanhood, gender, and race in a rapidly changing world.
Stand out from the crowd
Learn how to stand out from the crowd and inspire key creative decision makers in the ad world.
Get noticed
Learn from some of Australia’s and overseas foremost industry experts to improve your practice and master your craft.
Featured program events
31/10/2024 Preview: Three featured Italian photographers
8/11/2024 Festival launch
9/11/2024 Bridging the gap – First nations photographers
9/11/2024 Bridging the gap – Women in photography
9/11/2024 Saturday social
10/11/2024 Get noticed
10/11/2024 Sunday Soiree
11/11/2024 Rwanda opening and panel
12/11/2024 Stand out from the crowd
13/11/2024 Open house – week 1
14/11/2024 AddOn exhibition opening
20/11/2024 Open house – week 2
24/11/2024 Sydney Camera Markets
27/11/2024 Artists in conversation – Simon Harsent
27/11/2024 Open house – week 3
Explore the festival
Enthralling. Enchanting. Extraordinary. Discover exceptional photography for free around Sydney during the festival 8 Nov–1 Dec 2024