Graeme Williams

In 1989 I was contracted by Reuters to cover South Africa’s transition to ANC rule. In 1991 I began to contribute my photographs to the Southern African documentary collective, Afrapix and later went on to become a founder member and manager of South Photographs Agency.

Since the late 80s I have worked on my own photographic projects, at times exhibiting and publishing the completed works.

My work is housed in the permanent collections of The Smithsonian (USA), The South African National Gallery, The Rotterdam Museum of Ethnology, Duke University (USA), The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, The Finnish School of Photography, Oxfam and Anti-Apartheid Movement in Belgium, Cape Town University, as well as the BHP Billiton Collection and the AngloGold Ashanti Collection.

I have staged solo exhibitions in Johannesburg, New York and Paris and have contributed to many combined exhibitions including the 2011 Figures and Fictions exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. I have also contributed to a number of publications showcasing photography in South Africa and around the world. One of the more recent publications is the Then and Now project (book, film and exhibition), which focuses on eight South African photographers who have contributed to South Africa’s photographic heritage, both before and after the 1994 transition to democracy.

My first book, The Floor, documents the last year of open outcry trading on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, while the second book, The Inner City, is an exploration of isolation captured through images of Johannesburg as it struggled to adjust to the changing social and political climate. Most recently, Editions de L’Ceil (Paris) has published a monograph of my work.

Photographic assignments have taken me to over forty countries and my photographs have been published in major publications worldwide, including National Geographic Magazine, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine and Photography magazine (UK).