New exhibition shines light on pioneering Toowoomba photographer Graham Burstow

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 a new exhibition of his work, which opens at Brisbane's Maud Street Photo Gallery later this month.

Throughout his long career, Graham made images across multiple genres, including portraiture and landscape.

One of the founding members of the Australian Photographic Society (APS) and a hugely respected figure in Australian photographic circles, Graham died in 2022 at the age of 96. 

As Mikaela explains, while spending time looking through his archive of negatives in preparation for the first independent exhibition of his work since his death, it was his social documentary images that she constantly returned to, especially as there were so many compelling photographs that had never been printed, she says. 

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 the 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.

He was also the author of nine books, with his last, Closer, published in 2019. 

In 2004 Graham was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for Services to Photography in addition to an impressive list of camera club achievements - SAPS, PSQF, FPSA, HAFB, FRPS, PSQA, APSA, FAPS, Hon FAPS, AAPS, EFIAP, and ARPS.

Graham Burstow Unseen runs from October 27 - November 24, and is free to enter. 

You can find out more here.