Photobook launch: Hoon by Simon Bernhardt

Launching at Sydney's iconic Donut Garage in Marrickville on the 19th of June 2026, Hoon is a new photographic publication exploring Australian masculinity, grief, memory, and car culture through a deeply personal, visual narrative set within the streets of Sydney.

The title Hoon references a distinctly Australian archetype often associated with rebellion, cars, noise, masculinity, and performance. The photobook is a collaboration between Simon Bernhardt with Lifeline and  MensLine Australia charities. charities.

Hoon retraces a familiar suburban walk Bernhardt once shared with Howard – a close friend, collaborator, and fellow photographer who tragically took his own life after a lifelong struggle with depression.

Rather than constructing a traditional documentary, Hoon operates as a psychological journey: The photographs look downward and at its core, Hoon examines male silence and the ways grief can inhabit ordinary environments long after a person has disappeared. The repetition of walking the same route becomes both ritual and mourning; a quiet attempt to remain connected to someone no longer present.

The publication also reflects on broader conversations surrounding Australian men’s mental health, particularly within environments where emotional restraint, stoicism, and performative masculinity are culturally embedded. Through its restrained visual imagery, it invites viewers to consider the emotional weight carried silently by many men, often hidden beneath routine, humour, obsession, work, or subculture.

Hoon by Simon Bernhardt - Book Signing 

Opening night: 6 - 8pm, Friday 19th of June, 2026

Donut Garage – 7 Mitchell St, Marrickville, NSW

You can see more of Simon Bernhardt's photobooks and work on his website.