RED HOT: DOWN UNDER's RED HOT 100 Exhibition Launches in Sydney

RED HOT 100, the ground breaking stills and video exhibition by Thomas Knights that celebrates red-haired male beauty, is launching in Sydney in December 2014. The exhibition, as well as a new large scale coffee table book and 2015 calendar, showcase the hottest red headed guys from all over the world including Olympic gold medallists, actors and top models.

Following the initial launch in London in 2013, and recent explosive success in New York in September this year, the RED HOT 100 exhibition will take place in Sydney from today 3 - 14 December at Deutscher and Hackett Gallery, Surry Hills.

For too long, red-haired people have been marginalised, the subject of jokes and sometimes malicious myth-making. Redheaded children have sometimes been bullied, sometimes tragically and horrifically, to the point of suicide, simply because of the colour of their hair and skin. The acclaimed British photographer, Thomas Knights, a red-haired man himself, had enough of the prejudice and stigma. Thomas decided to "re-brand the stereotype" and to "reclaim the red" by creating the RED HOT project.

RED HOT is an inspirational and memorable project that provokes debate and discussion - the genuine antidote to stigma and discrimination.

Thomas Knights is a fashion photographer and music video director who has an impressive portfolio, his work featuring in Vogue Italia, Dazed and Confused, and Marie Claire, as well as working with Marina and the Diamonds, Labrinth, Rosin Murphy and Maya Jane Coles.

A natural redhead himself, Knights has experienced personally the negative perceptions that come with being ginger, and, having no red-haired public role models to persuade him otherwise, he grew up feeling ashamed of his red roots. With RED HOT, Thomas has devised a photography and video concept that redefines the perceived image of the redhead male. The men showcased are masculine, chiselled, cool and proud of the way that they look. The men featured in RED HOT 100 will be the new icons for what will hopefully be a positive rebranding of "the ginger".

Extensively covered by the worldwide press and featuring famous faces such as Vampire Diaries actor Daniel Newman, Olympic Gold Medallist Greg Rutherford, and USA Olympic fencing champion Race Imboden, RED HOT has been gaining increasing momentum and has already changed a lot of attitudes. Featuring in publications such as The Guardian and The Telegraph as well as on BBC World News, RED HOT breaks ground about misconceptions of men with red hair.

"We have been conditioned to think that ginger men are ugly and weak. I wanted to flip this on its head and present the redhead male as the 'ultimate' alpha male," says Thomas Knights.

Ken Bek, the cover boy for RED HOT 100 and one of the world's most sought-after male models will accompany Thomas Knights to Sydney for the opening of the exhibition.

In addition to rebranding redheads, RED HOT : DOWN UNDER is supporting the ENDING HIV Red Ribbon Appeal which aims to raise awareness about and funds for ending HIV transmission and HIV-related discrimination.

Run by HIV organisation ACON with the support of NSW Health, RED HOT : DOWN UNDER is a key activity for World AIDS Day (Dec 1) and has been designed to also help deliver messages to gay men about using condoms and testing for HIV, both of which are crucial to the goal of ending HIV transmission in Australia by 2020.

In the lead up to the exhibition, the RED HOT : DOWN UNDER Model Search is aiming to find Australia's hottest red-headed male. The recently launched competition -- supported by DNA (Australia's foremost gay men's magazine), and SameSame (Australia's leading LGBTI* website), has already garnered in excess of 100 entries with more pouring in daily. It's obvious that red-heads want to be recognised.

The RED HOT : DOWN UNDER Model Search Final will be held in Sydney at Slide Lounge in Darlinghurst on Sunday 30 November from 5pm. This will be a memorable night when five finalists compete for $7000 in cash and prizes and the opportunity to be photographed by Thomas Knights and included in the exhibition. Entertainment will include performances from some of Australia's leading red-headed entertainers including Verushka Darling, Ben Hudson, Brendan Irving, Rob Johnson and Elise McCann. Tickets are only $15 and can be purchased online at www.slide.com.au.

The RED HOT 100 coffee table book and RED HOT 100 2015 Calendar are available from The Bookshop, 207 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. Thomas Knights will be doing signings of his book - dates, times and locations to be advised.

For more information, visit:

RED HOT : DOWN UNDER - www.acon.org.au/redhotdownunder

RED HOT 100 - www.redhot100.com

RED HOT : DOWN UNDER MODEL SEARCH - https://www.facebook.com/RedHotDownUnder

RED HOT: DOWN UNDER FINALE @ SLIDE - http://slide.com.au/shows/redhotdownunder/

RED HOT 100 coffee table book and 2015 calendar - www.thebookshop.com.au

Twitter: #redhotdownunder

*LGBTI = lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex

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