It was early February 2025 when the inbox went 'ding' and I swiped up, thinking it might be spam, and closing the Mail app. In no real mood to check since it was still 'summer' holidays in our collective minds, I let it sit for a week and then opened the email. It was a message from Greg Weight, Australian photographer of significant repute, not least for his award winning portraits and a circle of friends who defined a generation, or three, of Australian art —Sydney's art royalty as Reg Mombassa calls them.
However, I wasn't prepared. We had recently received four proposals from photographers for 'coffee table' books...the type with only captions and beautiful pictures. While a lovely idea, the sales of photography books are under threat from Instagram (and social media in general). It leaves fewer opportunities for publishers to display notable works that haven't ready been shared ad nauseam. Secondary to this, everyone with a phone is now a 'photographer' of sorts...no accounting for quality however. Piper Press's books always include actual writing: usually a critical analysis, of an artist's work and output, their history and inspiration. A book with just images feels sad, mainly for the lost opportunity to shed light on a person's practice as told by a good arts writer, curator, historian or similar.
Fortunately, Greg had a manuscript under his metaphorical email ‘arm’ and once we cleared the decks of a few other things in the first part of the year, we were able to focus on his work 100%. And we are glad we did. It felt right. We went to meet Greg in person, and Carol Ruff - fellow artist and Greg's partner. Both delightful, thoughtful, warm. And so it began.
Exposure: A Photographic Memoir is an intimate journey through Australia’s bohemian art world, told by acclaimed photographer Greg Weight, whose lens has captured some of the nation’s most iconic artists and cultural moments over the past five decades.
With wit and candour, Weight shares his encounters with Martin Sharp, Brett Whiteley, Reg Mombassa, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Johnny Bell, John Olsen, Garry Shead, Margaret Olley, Luke Sciberras, Tracey Moffatt, Jeffrey Smart and others, bringing them to life in personal, often poignant settings. All the while, his own personal journey is revealed.
We can't express how satisfying this title has been to work on. Greg Weight's portraits tell the story of Australia's unique, charismatic and fascinating Australian art world from the bohemian 60's and the Yellow House with Martin Sharp, through the Sydney Push period and into the 2000s. We particularly enjoyed working with Greg, who is generous with his time and fastidious in his work ethic even when we are chasing up a missing file early in the morning. He's a storyteller and photographer with a natural, fluid style and in this book he creates a vivid recollection of experiences and people he photographed.
Having been an art student in the 90s, I came across several of Greg's subjects only as hearsay or study topics - they are such luminaries, it's hard not to. But reading about his time and those artists, from a first-hand account, was truly enjoyable. There are both arresting and funny moments throughout his memoir. I could not put it down.
As Greg is a nationally recognised photographer who has written a 50,000+ word memoir, we also wanted to do this publication justice. It could not be a large monograph format that sits on a coffee table or in the Fisher Library, perhaps never fully read. It also could not be a pulp memoir paperback with flimsy paper stock: his images are too beautiful and deserve to be appreciated alongside his stories.
We have broken a few unspoken rules therefore, by creating a readable, photographic memoir - small enough to carry and read cover to cover, but large enough to appreciate images up-close, and in a high quality, hardcover format.
Each 'Exposure' or chapter hinges on an image, and some chapters have several, providing over 65 images in total. Many such images have become collectable over Greg's career, or never seen before. The entire book is therefore printed on Japanese fine art matte paper: a great read and a visual journey all in one. We are very excited to be expanding Piper Press to include artist memoirs, alongside monographs, and books about architecture, design and photography.
Trusted by artists to photograph both their portraits and their work, Weight became an artist in his own right, with John Olsen describing his gift as capturing “the Weight moment”. This book is a beautifully produced memoir accompanied by over 65 photographs—some iconic, others never before seen.
Through his award winning portraits and landscapes, Weight captures the psyche of each subject and forms a chronicle of Australia’s art scene during the Sydney Push: the immense talent, the tragedies, the absurdities and hilarities. This playful, revealing, romp takes readers to the front row of Sydney’s Bohemian art world. Weight's portraits reside in national collections including at the National Gallery of Australia, National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW, and State Library of New South Wales among others. They have also been featured in solo, group and major exhibitions including the current Emily Kame Kngwarreye exhibition at Tate Modern in London. Stay tuned for more info about this title release in the coming months! Piper Press on IG, here on our new LinkedIn page or on Facebook.
Stay tuned for information on its release later this year.
