Brock Elbank Exhibition

words by tarn morrow and ben stephens

Remember earlier this year – it would’ve been around January as I recall. Vogue wrote a piece about how the beard trend was something that was going to be done away with during 2016. They were scary times. Men all over the land who enjoy a good bit of stubble or a three-year growth were haunted with the fear that they might have to go back to shaving daily. What a horrible world.

And now we've added Australian Surfing Legend @thomasvictorcarroll to the #Beard series for @beardseason to assist in raising awareness against melanoma.. Shot yesterday at the superb @qtbondi who were gracious hosts for the past week.. Thanks to all the staff for being so helpful and making the stay so enjoyable.. #MrElbank #Portrait #Beard #SkinCheck #Sydney #Surfer

A post shared by Brock Elbank (@mrelbank) on Feb 23, 2016 at 10:35pm PST

Skip forward 11 months and it seems that Vouge may have got that wrong. Beards are still very much trending and we couldn’t be more stoked. Actually, we could.

Let me introduce you to Mr Brock Elbank.

Mr Elbank is a photographer based in London. His pieces focus on raw portraits of humans and leave you feeling a connection with the subjects. Using such human features as freckles or eyes as the key to his magic.

So why the stoke?

Well, Mr Elbank will be exhibiting his latest work Beard at QT Canberra.

This showcase began as a project with Beard Season, a skin cancer awareness charity.

Our good friend, Jimmy Niggles is the brainchild behind the charity, aiming for strong growth and getting your skin checked for early signs of skin cancer.

Brock Elbank says his project is more than just about beards – ‘It’s just interesting people, a real cross-section of society that will be brought together in this show.’

The full beard exhibition has recently been shown at Somerset House in SoHo, London. Now until early January you can find the entire exhibition in the lobby of QT Canberra.

Drop by and check it out, there is something about the way Elbank shoots his subjects that leaves you feeling a little something inside. You’ll know what I mean.

At the very least, the showcase leaves you with a fair amount of beard envy.

Mr Elbank’s Beard is showing at QT Canberra from now until January 5, 2017.

@conway_sean colour version from our July series. #Mrelbank #Beauty #Portrait #Freckles #London #RedHead #Beard

A post shared by Brock Elbank (@mrelbank) on Dec 8, 2016 at 11:09am PST