BDSM by Simon Bernhardt

© Simon Bernhardt.
© Simon Bernhardt.

This latest exhibition by Simon Bernhardt, BDSM, features 16 engaging and intimate portraits of very different BDSM practitioners. Through these portraits, Bernhardt attempts to dispel the stereotypes that surround BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission and sadomasochism). The work tells the story of ordinary people at ease in their skin, or behind their masks. The exhibition opens just two days before Sydney’s Mardi Gras Festival, matching the theme of everyday people exploring their own sexual identity.

© Simon Bernhardt.
© Simon Bernhardt.

“There is a certain misconception associated with BDSM – that practitioners are somehow perverted and guilty of abhorrent fetishes. BDSM showcases practitioners on a journey of sexual discovery, while allowing people to learn more about how they came to be excited by things outside ‘mainstream’ sexual expression,” Bernhardt says. “BDSM seeks to celebrate and document these participants and their unique sexual identities by breaking taboos and misunderstandings about what we think goes on behind closed doors.”

Opening night: 6pm, Thursday 3rd of March, 2016.
© Simon Bernhardt.
© Simon Bernhardt.
© Simon Bernhardt.
© Simon Bernhardt.

About Simon Bernhardt

Simon Bernhardt is an advertising, editorial and fine art photographer based in Sydney. Whilst studying Fine Arts Photography and Media at the University of Technology, Sydney, Bernhardt worked as a freelance photographic assistant for some of the top fashion, advertising and fine art photographers, internationally and in Australia.

In 2010, his first photographic publication was released, Polaroid Holiday, reflecting his creative obsession with the Polaroid format and capturing studies of stark urban alienation. This exhibition and book tour, travelled over the following three years.

In 2014, Bernhardt’s third photographic publication and exhibition, Gateway, sparked serious political and cultural debate throughout Australia. It featured sixteen contemporary portraits of cannabis users that attempted to dispel stereotypes, while debating whether cannabis is really a gateway drug, and its possible future legalisation for medical and recreational purposes in Australia. The exhibition and limited edition book release also aimed to eliminate any emotion from the sensitive subject of illegal drug use.

 

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February

Brisbane: Until 13 July 2025. Amateur Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott (1870-1954) extraordinary images lay dormant for decades until they were discovered only recently. This exhibition is curated by seven Brisbane photographers.

Perth: Until 18 May 2025. Henry Roy – Impossible Island draws on 40-years of recollections and observations as it brings together 113 photos taken from 1983 to 2023.

Sydney: Until 31 Dec 2025. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

Sydney: Until 30 June. The photographs in Max Dupain: Student Life were taken at the University of Sydney in the early 1950s, a period of rapid change marked by the politics of the Cold War.

Melbourne: Until 26 April 2025. The exhibition features 52 works from the National Portrait Gallery’s collection of dance legends and reflects the freedom and joy of dance and its power to connect.

Sydney: Until 27 April 2025. Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition. Featuring 118 extraordinary images, this exhibition explores the awe-inspiring beauty and fragility of our oceans.

Canberra: 27 Feb until 20 July 2025. The National Library has invited renowned Australian photojournalist Mike Bowers to select some of his favourite images from the Fairfax Photo Archive.

March

Melbourne: 1 March – 25 May 2025. Featuring the work of approximately 60 artists, The Basement brings to light rare vintage prints from the 1960s – 1980s, from students and teachers of the College’s Diploma of Art & Design (Photography).

Perth: 15 Feb - 3 May 2025. de-centre re-centre highlights the strength and diversity of contemporary photography in Australia. The exhibition explores place and belonging in First Nations, diasporic and queer communities.

Melbourne: Until 6 April. HOME – 22 photographers interpret the theme of “Home” in images ranging from social documentary  to conceptual, portraits, landscapes, and more.