Mervyn Bishop (born July 1945) is an Australian news and documentary photographer. Joining ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' as a cadet in 1962 he was the first

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...

to work on a metropolitan daily newspaper and one of the first to become a professional photographer. In 1971, four years after completing his cadetship, he was named Australian Press Photographer of the Year. He has continued to work as a photographer and lecturer.

Early life

Mervyn Bishop, a Murri man, was born in July 1945 in

Brewarrina Brewarrina (pronounced 'bree-warren-ah'; locally known as "Bre") is a town in north-west New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. The name Brewarrina is derived from 'burru waranha', a Weilwan name for a s ...

in north-west New South Wales. His father, "Minty" Bishop, had been a soldier and shearer, and was himself born to an Aboriginal mother and a Punjabi Indian father. In 1950, "Minty" gained an "official exemption certificate which permitted 'more advanced' Aborigines to live apart from mission blackfellas in post-war Australia". This enabled the family to live among "ordinary" people in Brewarrina. The catch to this certificate was that the exempt Aboriginal people were expected to "sever their ties with their old culture". or 1963, By high school he had started "chronicling the family with a camera – first his mother's

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

620 __NOTOC__ Year 620 ( DCXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 620 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era bec ...

and, then a

35mm 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...

Japanese camera he bought for £15". He moved to Dubbo when he was 14 to finish his high school at the Dubbo High School.

Career

Bishop began his career as a cadet photographer with ''

'' in 1962, the first Aboriginal photographer hired by the paper, becoming the first Aboriginal person to work on a metropolitan daily newspaper and one of the first to become a professional photographer. During four years of his cadetship, he completed a Photography Certificate Course at Sydney Technical College., citing In 2004, he remained the only indigenous photographer to have been employed by the paper. He won the

Nikon-Walkley Australian Press Photographer of the Year The Nikon-Walkley Australian Press Photographer of the Year, or Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year is awarded to the photographer whose body of work is considered the best in the country for that year. It recognises newsworthiness, im ...

in 1971 with ''Life and Death Dash'' (1971). From 1974 to 1980, he worked as the

Department of Aboriginal Affairs The Department of Aboriginal Affairs was an Australian government department that existed between December 1972 and March 1990. History The Department had its origins in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs (OAA), which was established ...

staff photographer. Some of his most enduring work came from this period, as he visited

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

communities and documented "the first flush of an idealistic era when land rights, equal wages and government-funded aid seemed to presage a new dawn for Aboriginal Australians". It was during this time, in 1975, that he shot the iconic photograph of

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the ...

pouring soil into the hand of Gurindji

traditional owner Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...

Vincent Lingiari Vincent Lingiari (13 June 1908 or 1919 – 21 January 1988) was an Australian Aboriginal rights activist and member of the Gurindji people. In his early life he started as a stockman at Wave Hill Station, where the Aboriginal workers were g ...

, at the handover of the deeds to Gurindji country at Wattie Creek. This photograph has been seen as capturing "the symbolic birth of landrights". He returned to the ''Herald'' in 1979, before becoming a freelance photographer in 1986, working for such agencies as the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, an ...

. Bishop completed further studies and lectured in photography at

Tranby Aboriginal College Tranby is a heritage-listed former residence and now adult education centre for Aboriginal Australians in Sydney, commonly known as Tranby Aboriginal College. It is located at 13 Mansfield Street in the inner western Sydney suburb of Glebe ...

, the

Eora College TAFE NSW is an Australian vocational education and training provider. Annually, the network trains over 500,000 students in campus, workplace, online, or distance education methods of education. It was established as an independent statutory bod ...

and at the

Tin Sheds Gallery The Tin Sheds was the common name of the Sydney University Art Workshop was an Australian art workshop in Sydney, New South Wales, founded in 1969. Its name lives on in the Tin Sheds Gallery at the University of Sydney School of Architecture, ...

at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

. In 1991 he had his first solo exhibition, ''In Dreams: Mervyn, Thirty Years of Photography 1960 to 1990'', at the Australian Centre for Photography. Originally curated by

Tracey Moffatt Tracey Moffatt (born 12 November 1960) is an Indigenous Australian artist who primarily uses photography and video. In 2017 she represented Australia at the 57th Venice Biennale with her solo exhibition, "My Horizon". Her works are held in th ...

, it went on to tour for over 10 years. A book titled ''In Dreams'' was published to accompany the exhibition. He produced a one-man performance piece, ''Flash Blak'', in the vein of a

William Yang William Yang (born 1943) is an acclaimed social history photographer, playwright, artist and filmmaker living in Australia. Born in Dimbulah, North Queensland he is a third generation Chinese Australian. Yang's photography and performances ...

slide show to music and written and directed by Yang, for the 2004 Message Sticks Festival at the Sydney Opera House. His aim in the show was to delve "into his family's history to illuminate a wider story about Aboriginal life in the latter half of the 20th century". He also worked as a stills photographer on

Phillip Noyce Phillip Noyce (born 29 April 1950) is an Australian filmmaker. Since 1977, he has directed over 19 feature films in various genres, including historical drama ('' Newsfront'', '' Rabbit-Proof Fence'', '' The Quiet American''); thrillers (''Dead ...

's ''

Rabbit-Proof Fence The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the Rabbit-Proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence, and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits, and other agricultural pests from th ...

''.

Exhibitions and collections

Bishop's work was included in Candid Camera: Australian Photography 1950s–1970s at the Art Gallery of South Australia (May to August 2010), a group retrospective of social documentary photography which also featured the work of key Australian photographers

Max Dupain Maxwell Spencer Dupain AC OBE (22 April 191127 July 1992) was an Australian modernist photographer. Early life Dupain received his first camera as a gift in 1924, spurring his interest in photography. He later joined the Photographic Society ...

, David Moore,

Jeff Carter Jeffrey J. Carter (born January 1, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Los Angeles Kings ...

Robert McFarlane Robert Carl "Bud" McFarlane (July 12, 1937 – May 12, 2022) was an American Marine Corps officer who served as National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan from 1983 to 1985. Within the Reagan administration, McFarlane was a leading ar ...

Rennie Ellis Reynolds Mark Ellis (11 November 194019 August 2003) was an Australian social and social documentary photographer. He also worked, at various stages of his life, as an advertising copywriter, seaman, lecturer, television presenter and founder of ...

, Carol Jerrems and

Roger Scott Roger Scott (23 October 1943 – 31 October 1989) was a British radio disc jockey. He was best known for presenting an afternoon radio show on London's Capital London from 1973 until 1988 and was also best known for presenting his late night ...

. A number of Bishop's photographs are held in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

Awards

*1971: He won the

for ''Life and Death Dash'', a photograph, which had appeared on the front page of the ''Herald'' in January 1971, depicting a nun rushing to get help for an Aboriginal child. *2000: He was awarded the

Australia Council The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austr ...

's $50,000

Red Ochre Award The Red Ochre Award is an annual art award for Indigenous Australian artists. Background and description The Red Ochre Award was established in 1993 by the Australia Council for the Arts. It is awarded annually to an outstanding Indigenous Au ...

, through its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board.

Other recognition

Bishop features in "Through the Eyes of Lens with Merv Bishop", an episode in the 2013 documentary television series '' Desperate Measures''.

Personal life

His wife, Elizabeth, died of cancer in 1991, and he was left to care for their teenage son, Tim, and six-year-old daughter, Rosemary.

Solo and group exhibitions

* 1991, ''In Dreams: Mervyn Bishop Thirty Years of Photography 1960–1990'', Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney and touring * 1991, ''Images of Black Sport'',

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney, the others being the historic Sydney Observatory at Observatory Hill, and the newer Museums Discovery Centre at Castle Hill. Although often de ...

, Sydney * 1991, ''Her Story: Images of Domestic Labour in Australian Art'', S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney * 1991, ''Fine and mostly sunny: photographs from the collection'', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney * 1992, Cultural exchange with the Chinese Photographic Society and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade * 1992, ''Recent Acquisitions – Australian Photography'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 1993, ''Aratjara: Art of the First Australians'', Touring:

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is the art collection of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, in Düsseldorf. United by this institution are three different exhibition venues: the ''K20'' at Grabbeplatz, the ''K21'' in the ...

, Düsseldorf;

Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the R ...

, London;

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is an art museum located on the shore of the Øresund Sound in Humlebæk, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the most visited art museum in Denmark, and has an extensive permanent collection of modern and cont ...

, Humlebaek * 1993, ''Urban Focus: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art from the Urban Areas of Australia'',

, Canberra * 1993, ''Photographs from the collection'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 1994, ''Critic's choice'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 1994, ''We Are Family'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 1996, ''From the Street – Photographs From the Collection'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 1997, ''Discipline and beauty'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 1998, ''Retake: Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Photography'', National Gallery of Australia * 2000, ''Another country'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 2001, ''A Dubbo Day with Jimmy and other reconciliation images'', Stills Gallery,

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

* 2003, ''New View: Indigenous Photographic Perspectives'', Monash Gallery * 2003, ''On the Beach: with Whiteley and fellow Australian artists'', Brett Whiteley Studio,

Surry Hills Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. Surry Hills is surround ...

* 2004, ''Australian postwar photodocumentary'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 2008, ''Half Light: Portraits from Black Australia'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 2010, ''Candid Camera: Australian Photography 1950s–1970s'', Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide * 2011, ''What's in a face? aspects of portrait photography'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 2012, ''Home: Aboriginal Art from NSW'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 2015, ''The photograph and Australia'', Art Gallery of New South Wales * 2017, ''Mervyn Bishop'' (24 June – 8 October), Art Gallery of New South Wales"A matter of perspective"
by Christopher Allen, ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'', 29 July 2017 * 2019, ''Artist talk and exhibition'' (7 May – 22 June), Bank Art Museum Moree, New South Wales.

References

Notes Sources * *

External links

Mervyn Bishop
at the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Interview with Mervyn Bishop
on

ABC Radio Darwin ABC Radio Darwin (call sign: 8DDD) is an ABC radio station which is located in Darwin, Northern Territory. It is one of the stations in the ABC Local Radio network and broadcasts on 105.7 MHz on the FM dial. It is an Australian Government spons ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, Mervyn Australian photographers Indigenous Australian people 1945 births Living people Documentary photographers