Former Rabbitohs halfback Joe Williams has celebrated his heritage by taking part in an upcoming exhibition highlighting inspirational Indigenous people with a local Sydney photographer. His portrait and story will be showcased at our Round 17 Indigenous Round celebrations before officially opening in Redfern on July 5th.
Designed to illustrate that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, The Face Exhibition is a photographic showcase of successful, talented and aspiring Indigenous leaders that is sure to educate, but also inspire.
Set to be held at Redfern’s 107 Project Gallery from July 5th to the 16th, the free entry exhibition will showcase a collection of 30 portraits of Indigenous Australians from a diverse cross-section of Australian life, including (but not limited to) community leaders, students, sports stars, entertainers and local legends. Among the 30 Faces will be the likes of: Bonita Mabo, Cody Walker, Joe Williams and Clinton Pryor.
The collection is a culmination of eight months of travelling for photographer, Sunny Brar, who traipsed Australian cities and towns to capture these many and varied Faces that depict the colours of the multi-hued dream that has become the Australian reality.
And the first expression of this odyssey, is The Face Exhibition.
“The aim of the project is to showcase this wide range of heroes through the simplicity of their faces,” said Brar.
“Showing that they come in all shapes, sizes and social strata enables future generations to realise the limitless potential in themselves and their people. The result is a collection of portraits that tell a truth no words can articulate. Coming in all shapes and sizes with a variety of backstories these faces talk to the limitless potential of our first peoples who share the common thread of a deep and meaningful relationship to country.
“With a multitude of ethnicities now populating Australia’s cities and countryside, the inclusive, welcoming acceptance – an inherent trait of our first peoples’ heritage – has become a cultural imperative.”
For Brar who has lived the experience of being an outsider, knows the important role that heritage plays in a multi-racial society. Born in the north of India he arrived in Australia in the early 1990’s as a seven-year-old. As Australian-Indian, Brar’s parents encouraged him to learn about his heritage and be proud of who he was and where he came from.
As Australia continues to welcome immigrants from around the world, Brar brings them from the street into the gallery using the faces of our indigenous brothers and sisters as his starting point.
The Free admission Face Exhibition will be on show at Redfern’s 107 Project Gallery from the 5th to the 16th of July.
