GRAHAM BURSTOW UNSEEN opening event

You're Invited to the Opening Event!

We are excited to invite you to the opening of GRAHAM BURSTOW UNSEEN, a photographic exhibition showcasing never-before-seen works by the acclaimed photographer Graham Burstow OAM (1927 - 2022).

Event Details:

• Date: Sunday, October 27, 2024
• Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
• Location: The Maud Street Photo Gallery, 6 Maud Street, Newstead, Brisbane

This is a registration-only event with limited capacity, and we would be honored to have you join us.

For those traveling from afar, such as Toowoomba and Ipswich, please note that only street parking is available at the venue. You may want to consider organizing group transport or carpooling to ensure a smooth and stress-free arrival.

Please note that registrations close on Wednesday, October 23, at 5:00 PM. Secure your place by registering early to ensure you don't miss out on this unique experience.

We look forward to celebrating this remarkable exhibition with you.

How do you stage an exhibition from a career spanning 70 years of film photography? This was the dilemma facing Mikaela Burstow, the granddaughter of Toowoomba-based photographer Graham Burstow, in curating this show.

Throughout his photographic career Graham made images across multiple genres, including portraiture and landscape. But as Mikaela spent time looking through Graham’s archive of negatives, it was his social documentary images that she constantly returned to, especially as there were so many compelling photographs that had never been printed.

Although Graham enjoyed the challenge of street photography, what he really loved were the small-scale outdoor events that flourished in South-East Queensland: beach girl contests, tug-o-war competitions, swap meets, and shows featuring dogs, horses, and even camels. The photographs in this exhibition were mostly taken in the 1970s and 80s, a period when these events flourished. For a photographer looking for spontaneous social life on public display, they were heaven.

Graham’s talent for social documentary resulted in his being commissioned by the Queensland Art Gallery (now QAGOMA) for their Journeys North project, and his love of depicting people at play was also expressed through his exhibitions, and related book, of Gold Coast images.

This exhibition reaffirms Graham Burstow’s reputation as a significant Australian social documentary photographer.

Host or Publisher QUEENSLAND CENTRE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY - THE MAUD STREET PHOTO GALLERY