In the Galleries: Hairy and Heartfelt

Some style trends -- like the rage for tattoos -- seem to start simultaneously from many points at once, like a global blossoming of consciousness. But sometimes it is the selective vision of a few that often ignites the world to a new style or way of looking at things. While living and working in Sydney, Mr. Elbank shot a men's concept editorial for Kiwi magazine Black on Beards -- one of the first to recognize their rise in popularity. This resulted in a fascination with facial hair for Mr. Elbank and he started seeking subjects for a personal photography project on beards.

Through a friend, he met Jimmy Niggles, who told him about his charity initiative following the death of a close friend from skin cancer. Jimmy's idea was to grow a beard as a conversation starter to spread the word about the preventable disease and share his friend's story. To support Niggles's cause, Mr. Elbank started up #Project60, in which he would photograph 60 people with beards to raise awareness of Niggles's Beard Season and reach an international audience by seeding them on social networking sites.

He received over 1,200 applications from people wanting to participate, and those selected all traveled to Mr. Elbank's rural Warwickshire, England, home to sit for their portrait at their own expense. The #Project60 images have been widely shared on social media and have encouraged viewers to go for skin checks, which can prove lifesaving.

The exhibition will encompass Mr. Elbank's original collection of works, #Project60, plus new and unseen photographs shot specially for the Somerset House show, bringing them all together for the first time. The pogonophiles come from all corners of the globe and from all walks of life; it includes the famous facial hairs of actor John Hurt, models Ricki Hall and Billy Huxley, and artist Gavin Turk, but also other interesting characters such as tattooist Miles Better and British bearded woman Harnaam Kaur, who has been growing a beard since the age of 16 after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that causes excess hair growth.

Somerset House Trust
March 5 - 29, 2015, Free admission
South Building, Somerset House
Strand, London, WC2R 1LA

See more of Mr. Elbank's work: mrelbank.com, mrelbank.tumblr.com, twitter.com/mrelbank, instagram.com/mrelbank


Jimmy Niggles

John Hurt

Billy Huxley

Miles Better

Brandon Baker

Ricki Hall

Harnaam Kaur

Stefan Bostrom

Frank Moon

Edwin Venn