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Mervyn Bishop: Black White + Colour
Launch at Douglas Stewart Fine Books
Gael Newton AM, 26th March 2026
The following is an edited and updated version of my talk at the launch of the above.
On Thursday 27th at Dougals Stewart Fine Books (Armadale, Melbourne) I had the privilege of launching the limited-edition biography and portfolio for Black White + Colour, the new biography of the Australian photographer, Mervyn Bishop.
First up I put the gathering on notice that as this was a book launch, I was going to work my way from the outside in to the actual subject of this book, Mervyn Bishop.
We were gathered because we love Mervyn, the photography and or books as a whole but in my field of photographic arts, we especially love proper best quality photobooks. There are now huge multivolume tomes on the history of photobooks since the 1840s and even websites devoted to Australian examples. A photobook is not a default exhibition, each book is a different sequence and a new conversation.
This new Mervyn Bishop biography is a proper photobook indeed. The cover is great, it’s a nice weight and the cover image is a new icon in the making.
The cover without dust jacket is resilient so there will be no tears, finger marks and the paper inside is like goldilocks porridge. The cover is 'just right' in surface colour and sheen. The binding allows for an easy opening especially good for those of us who display books on stands at home changing pages from time to time.
And because this is a book launch, my first big salute goes salute to Ginninderra Press and your designer Isambard Thomas.
I really like the clean elegant design with no ‘smarty pants’ affectations involved in the production.
I must also acknowledge Josef Lebovic, standing quietly up the back there, who as Mervyn’s art representative has been providing his support over so many years not only to Mervyn, but also to many photographers and has done so by getting us curators to pay attention and to pay proper prices for artworks.
The text by Tim Dobbyn is excellent! It is professionally responsible, forensic where needed and raising matters that needed to be covered but also allowing the voice of the biographer. It is so important that biographies provide us readers with personal details not academic impersonality.
And finally, to Mervyn here by my side. It has always been his passion and life as a photographer that makes him an easy person to warm to. Mervyn has the personal character that is essential in any form of photography that is to engage with people.
Reading the text is to learn of regrets that you may have had about paths you could have taken; everyone has those, and to revel in the evidence of your success. I urge everyone who looks through this photobook to look twice at each photograph. There is always more than the ostensible subject. Pause and look again.
In 1944 émigré lawyer Leonard Adam wrote an article titled ‘Is there a future for Aboriginal art?’ He answered his own question with a Yes. I agree.
Indigenous artists have been and continue to adapt to contemporary issues and ways of life and will continue to do so even as traditional life changed. Mervyn also asked with his wonderful photograph, Is there an aboriginal photography? Yes there is and he is here tonight!
Tim Dobbyn points out in the books that the Mervyn Bishop archive is huge. It is barely touched in exhibitions so far. Once it is acquired by a public collection and digitized, its uses and the exhibitions that will that follow will outlive many of us here today.
I optimistically hope to make it to 2039, the 200th anniversary of the public debut of photography. But whether I do or not, it is a great pleasure to launch this special edition and congratulate all those involved, and a special thanks to Mervyn for the great images; you made sure you were there, on time and had the eye to capture those now historic photographs.
Finally, I urge you to buy two books and donate one to a library near you or as a gift to a friend. Buy a print; black and white is an art you need to live with to really enjoy.
Douglas Stewart has for sale the delux editions with each specially bound limited edition in box contains an original signed photograph titled Is there an Aboriginal photography? Self-portrait, 1989. (Note: the limited edition is accompanied by a standard edition reading copy). click here
There are other editions listed on the web site, click here
with the standard signed edition also available - click here
For more on Mervyn Bishop - click here
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