Past exhibitions
First sight
In 2021, Head On Foundation worked closely with Indigenous photographer Michael Torres to create a mentorship program to develop and promote the careers of emerging First Nations photographers. Photographers had the opportunity to be mentored and gain fantastic insights through online workshops with leading industry professionals.
Dangerous stars
Dangerous stars honours the lives of rabbits, birds, spiders, and the spectrum of other species with whom we share this planet. It draws on my personal experience of Country while tracing my fami-ly’s ancestry. Arising from my deep ties with Bpangerang people, from whom I am descended, and Warl-piri friends who’ve walked with me over the decades of my search.
First sight mentorship program
First Sight was a mentorship program specifically designed to develop and promote the careers of emerging First Nations photographers. This collaborative, workshop-based mentorship provided valuable career skills and also networking and exhibition opportunities. It culminated in a final exhibition as part of Head On Photo Festival 2021, with six participants selected to exhibit.
The program included a fantastic series of online sessions with industry-leading speakers and mentors to help take the participants’ photography to the next level. It developed skills associated with curation, exhibition design, printing and framing, writing and PR, working with galleries and much more.
This project was developed by Head On Foundation with Michael Jalaru Torres and was supported by Create NSW.
From the magazine
Michael Cook
While he’s known for images that tackle often confronting subjects involving white Australia’s relationship with Indigenous culture, most of the time, there’s also a whimsy to the works – what Cook calls an openness or softness – which helps make them accessible. But his humour has its genesis in a childhood defence mechanism.
First sight artists talk
Image: Lowell Hunter from First Sight Since early 2021, Head On Foundation has run First Sight, a mentorship program specifically designed to develop and promote the careers of emerging First Nations photographers. Produced by Head On Foundation with Indigenous photographer Michael Jalaru Torres, it aimed to provide valuable career skills around curation, exhibition design, printing […]
NAIDOC Week 2022: 10 must-see pictures
Image: Lowell Hunter, Head On Foundation’s featured exhibition apart of Head On Photo Festival 2021, ‘First Sight‘. Originating with the 1938 Day of Mourning, NAIDOC Week has celebrated and promoted the history, culture and achievements of First Nations peoples for over 80 years. This year’s theme for NAIDOC is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! […]
10 incredible photos by indigenous photographers to celebrate NAIDOC week!
Image credit: Mervyn Bishop, courtesy of National Indigenous Australians Agency and Josef Lebovic Gallery, Sydney Happy NAIDOC Week everyone! This year’s theme for NAIDOC is ‘heal country’. To celebrate Indigenous history, culture and achievement, and recognise that country and identity are intertwined, we are acknowledging some of the incredible photographs taken by First Nations photographers. Caution: […]
Photographing the Indigenous
A survey from the earliest known First Nations photos through to modern-day Indigenous photographers who have greater control over the way their images are read.
Head On Foundation acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work and live. We pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future, and extend this to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Head On Photo Festival 2025
The Head On Photo Festival 2025 is back this November, transforming Sydney into a photography haven with major exhibitions