Casula Powerhouse is proud to commission world-renowned Indigenous photographer Mervyn Bishop in his solo show Elders of Liverpool.
Mervyn has worked closely with the local Indigenous community to create 12 black and white, large-scale portraits of Indigenous Elders. The portraits express the strength, knowledge and generosity of local Elders. The series of works will be acquired by the Liverpool City Art Collection.
Mervyn was born in Brewarrina, New South Wales in 1945 and has had an extraordinary and diverse professional legacy, spanning over 40 years. He has captured celebrities like the Rolling Stones and Ray Orbison, and later in his career was a stills photographer on the critically acclaimed 2002 film Rabbit Proof Fence.
Mervyn has also worked for the Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra where he was employed to document the lives and conditions of Aboriginal Australia.
While working at the department, Mervyn took one of his most famous shots. In 1975 he recorded the historic moment when Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam returned Aboriginal land to Gurindji tribal elder Vincent Lingiari.
This image is currently held at the National Gallery of Australia.
Image Credits:
Aunty Mae Robinson, Elders of Liverpool, Mervyn Bishop, 2010
Aunty Norma Shelley, Elders of Liverpool, Mervyn Bishop, 2010
Uncle Ian Barley Edwards, Elders of Liverpool, Mervyn Bishop, 2010
Uncle Steven William, Elders of Liverpool, Mervyn Bishop, 2010
Listen to an interview with Aunty Mae Robinson here