Palmwoods photographer wins gold in international art awards

Berry Cheeseman with one of his award winning Photographs taken in Vietnam, which he first visited 40 years after his tour of duty.

by Tanya Outridge

On March 21, Palmwoods based photographer Barry Cheeseman learned he had been awarded the Gold Medal (Photography) and Honorable Mention (Digital Art) in the ‘Annual International Awards Arts Professionals 2024’ of the Mondial Art Academy in France. 

Mondial Art Academia is a French Academy, founded on excellence and the selection of talented artists in all genres from around the world. Its mission is to contribute to the development, recognition and lasting profound success of its members through aesthetic and creative rigor, in the search for remarkable works.

“I was awarded the Gold Medal for my piece entitled ‘Vietnam Life’, and received an Honorable Mention for ‘My Life Behind My Mask’,” Mr Cheeseman said.

Mr Cheeseman had spent part of his life in finance but made the move into photography with his own Southbank studio, Mystique of Images.

“Between 1968 and 1969 as a National Serviceman, I did a tour of duty in Vietnam and it took 40 years for my wife to convince me to go back there,” he explained.

“After that first return trip, I could not stay away. It became my passion to capture photographs of Vietnam and its people. I published a small book of my work, and it was picked up by the Vietnamese Government as a true representation of the people.

“I have done over 20 photography tours of Vietnam and I am still as fascinated by the place as I ever was,” he said.

Five years ago, Mr Cheeseman was invited to join the Mondial Art Academy and has remained a member to this date. He is currently the Australian Delegate (Photography) of the Academy. “It is a wonderful opportunity because through the Mondial Art Academy you are invited to exhibit your work all around the world,” he said.

“I was very surprised by this recognition,” said Mr Cheeseman. 

“I was a runner up and had some Honorary Mentions a few years ago. But this most recent award is extremely meaningful to me because there were some extraordinarily talented people in the category.”

Mr Cheeseman has recently produced a 240 page book, titled ‘Vietnam Portraits’. 

As well, over the years, Mr Cheeseman’s photographic work has been published in many international and national magazines.

Below (left), Barry’s Gold Medal winning photograph ‘Vietnam Life’ and the photo for which he received an Honourable Mention ‘I Hide Behind My Mask’.