Image: Moshe Rosenzveig OAM
As you may be aware, 11 of our outdoor exhibitions recently got damaged due to unprecedented 70 kilometre an hour gusts of wind at Bondi Beach.
We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who generously rose to our call out for donations to help us reprint these damaged shows. As a not-for-profit, we are grateful that you donated – this helped us enormously. Our team has already replaced the damaged shows so you can head down to Bondi and see them along the promenade until the end of January.
We’d also like to thank our amazing printers who (re)printed them so quickly. Here’s a taster of the ones we have replaced.
Israeli-based fine art photographer Anat Icar Shoham’s show Covid-19 metaphors represents an imaginary archive of the Coronavirus pandemic, explored through the metaphor of the natural process of seed dispersal. Each scan uproots the objects from their context, presenting them as fragments, alluding to states of isolation, social remoteness and trauma.
New York-based Australian photojournalist Angus Mordant documents the heartbreaking story of Omar Rodriguez in The mourning undertaker. Omar is a funeral home worker in New York who takes only a momentary pause from his work upon hearing that his father, too, has died of complications resulting from Covid-19.
Bondi-based photographer and filmmaker Annabel Osborne’s Woman’s best friend celebrates the unique spirit of dogs and the enchantment they bring to our two-legged lives. Through Annabel’s eyes, dogs are smiling superheroes in furry coats… each with their own distinct story which makes them shine.
Macro photographer Bridgette Gower’s Disco bugs finds joy and excitement in the miniature world of insects and spiders that live in our backyard. Drawing inspiration from nightclub lights, Bridgette casts the bugs as revellers in their dance floor playground.
French photographer Hubert Barre’s Impressions de Berlin captures East and West Berlin between 1985-86, the presence of the wall, the people who lived on each side, and the different cultures.
Australian visual artist Jenny Papalexandris’ Yonder series is a poetic visual narrative along the thirty-hour train journey of the Amtrak Crescent line from New York to New Orleans. In this cinematic story, we passively observe the world, through brooding and heavy imagery, from the train window.
Chinese photographer Li Ming’s Homeland explores China’s Three Gorges project which demonstrated the enormous power humans have to transform the environment. After destroying nature to build cities, we construct artificial landscapes that lack spirit, culture and heritage.
Dutch photographer and filmmaker Marc Aziz Ressang’s Transcendent series explores the unique approaches to gender in the cultural practices and phenomena in Indonesia and Myanmar. In South Sulawesi, Indonesia, the Bissu are the “fifth gender” within their society and occupy the traditional role of shaman or priest. In Myanmar, the traditionally female position of Nat Kadaw, or spirit mediums, is now often held by gay and trans community members.
Turkish/American artist Nadide Goksun’s Swimmers is inspired by childhood memories of summer holidays on the Aegean seaside, exploring feelings of relaxation and pleasure experienced by people in the water.
Sydney based photographer Phil Bayly’s journey through the small, isolated communities of South Australia and harsh empty spaces brings up memories from childhood holidays. These nostalgic images in Interior conjure memories of playing in shearing sheds amongst roustabouts surrounded by wide horizons of saltbush and red dust in that barren land.
Photojournalist Sylvia Liber’s Strength and resilience is a collaboration with the Illawarra Women’s Centre, photographing victims of domestic violence. From every wound, there’s a lasting scar that tells a story. On average, Lake Illawarra police officers respond to 12 domestic violence incidents every day.
Visit Bondi Beach to see the amazing exhibitions on display along the promenade until the end of January. We know you’ll love them!
Let us know what you think of the Festival this year! We appreciate your feedback and look forward to seeing you next year.
