The annual Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BIFB) kicks off Saturday 22nd August as the event celebrates ten years as Australia’s most prominent festival of photography.
The month long festival is held every two years in Ballarat, showcasing contemporary Australian and International photography. There are two major exhibitions involved, the core program is a curated exhibition of twenty leading photographic artists and the fringe program is open-entry with over 200 artists. There is also an extensive program for photographers of all levels, including workshops, seminars, audio-visual projections, master classes, artist talks, portfolio reviews, and photographic competitions.
Collections can be found in more than 80 venues around Ballarat. The Forge Pizzeria on 14 Armstrong St Nth is now showing John Smallman's collection. John started his career in advertising as an illustrator, designer and art director, which paved the way for his full-time work in photography. After a successful time in advertising John was able to form his own commerical film production company. John's latest collection can be described as, "disguised in his eleganct customary dark attire and moving like a shadow, John Smallman and his camera silently search locations in the tourisr-free backstreets where the Venetians live. He moves like a thief - in the night, the rain, the heavy fog and the cold light of dawn. He gives ua a glimse into the lives of the wonderful people who have lived precariously on these waters since the fourth century". View the collection here http://www.johnsmallman.com along with more of John's work.
The BIFB runs from 22nd August - 20th September. For programs and information see http://ballaratfoto.org.
