Head On Photo Festival

Sydney’s internationally acclaimed annual Head On Photo Festival will run from 5 May – 11 June 2011.The vibrant and exciting program for 2011 will feature outstanding work from across Australia and abroad showcasing a wide range of photographic styles from the traditional through to digital multi-media and installation projects. There will be exhibitions and events at over 100 venues including Sydney’s major museums, regional and commercial galleries along with libraries, universities, arts schools, restaurants, cafes, pubs, shop-fronts office buildings and parks.

Sydney’s major museums including The Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Sydney, the Justice & Police Museum, the Powerhouse Museum and the Australian Museum will be presenting photographic exhibitions and events during the festival along with art centres like Penrith, Manly and Blacktown Regional Galleries, contemporary art spaces including the Australian Centre for Photography and cultural centres like the Alliance Française, Goethe-Institut and the Instituto Cervantes.

Sydney’s leading commercial galleries are an integral part of the festival and Roslyn Oxley9, Stills, Point Light, White Rabbit, Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation and many, many more are presenting an enormous number of wonderful exhibitions. There are also festival hubs like Danks Street in Waterloo where Conny Dietzschold, Dominik Mersch and the Depot 2 Gallery will all be showcasing photography.

There are also displays and events in non dedicated art spaces like cafes, shop-fronts and office buildings.

This year The Head On Photo Festival will also host ground-breaking outdoor events including a unique, innovative and interactive Camera Obscura by Renato Colangelo which will be installed in Centennial Park for the duration of the Festival and a remarkable exhibition Accessible Arctic, featuring eighty years of Arctic photography, at the Paddington Reservoir Gardens presented by the Consulate General of Canada.

The two day Head On Seminar 14-15 May 2011 aimed at anyone who takes pictures – professionals and non-professionals alike will be held at The National Art School and given the popularity of this event last year Rosenzveig suggests booking early. There is also an extensive program of multi-media/digital slide show screenings, photography workshops for both adults and children, seminars, talks by artists and curators, open studios and a special project in conjunction with Glebe Public School.

Now in its eight year the annual Head On Portrait Prize, returns again as the Festival’s flagship competition and exhibition. This year we had a new record of well over 2,500 entries which will be reviewed by our four judges Moshe Rosenzveig said. Winners and selected entries will be on display at The Australian Centre for Photography.