My Place_My Face

First published on 7 May 2010. Updated on 5 Apr 2011.

A new exhibition asks Sydneysiders to find and question their private sanctuaries.

It’s a theme sure to resonate with all Sydneysiders: a place that is special.

But the My Place My Face photography exhibition has an ever more special calling. It aims to reach out to those Sydneysiders experiencing homelessness by encouraging them to take a photo of themselves, their friends, family or pet in a setting that has deep meaning for them, be it the local park, a cubby house, the backyard shed or local café.

This is not a Facebook or MySpace gallery of happy snaps. This exhibition - a new collaboration between the City of Sydney, Australian Centre of Photography and Wesley Mission - plays on the pervasiveness of those social networking sites to ask what is real - in people and place.

The competition will see the images of 25 finalists exhibited at Pine Street Creative Arts Centre from August 19-29 whereupon it will move to Wesley Mission where a photo auction will be held with profits split between the photographers and Wesley Mission.

“My Place My Face will enable us to share the experience and viewpoints of some of the most disadvantaged people in our community,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. “I hope it will also give them a stronger sense of self worth and belonging.”

Two categories exist for My Place My Face. The ‘Homeless’ category is for people sleeping rough or living in temporary shelter. The ‘Housed’ category is for people with a place to live. Both fields have under-18 and over-18 sub-categories.