Résumé

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).

Selected exhibitions/permanent collections

Solo  

2011 Kijk Gallery  - Paris  - Gallery opening exhibition.
2010 A selection of works  Photo-off, Paris.
2009 The Edge of Town. Axis Gallery New York.
2008 The Edge of Town. Artspace, Johannesburg.
2003 Hard Ground – permanent exhibition. Commissioned by UCT and hung at the new Chemical Engineering Building. Cape Town.
2002 Dreamtime in Breathless Spaces. Bonani Festival of Photography and Museum Africa. Johannesburg.
Photographs from a collection of personal work. Photo ZA Gallery, Johannesburg
2001 Hlabisa Portraits – Aids orphans and HIV positive children. 6th Wonca World Congress of Family Doctors. Durban.
The Inner City. Africana Museum, Johannesburg.

Combined    (Selected)

2012 The Smithsonian (New York) – Earth Matters exhibition
2011 The Big Show at the Dali Photography Festival in China.
2011 Two Dogs shown at the Angkor Photo Festival in Cambodia.
2011 Focus11 Contemporary Art Africa in Basel, Switzerland.
2011 Figures and Fictions - Contemporary South African photography exhibition: Victoria and Albert Museum, The Edge of Town, London.
2010 Darkroom: Photography and New Media in South Africa since 1950 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham.. An exhibition and catalogue.
2009 Bamako Biannale, Mali.
Beyond Beauty: Photographs from Duke University Special Collection Library. Book and exhibition
2008 Change of Tone.Exhibition of Contemporary South African Photography. Sydney, Australia.
Then and Now. Exhibition, book and film. Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg in South Africa,  Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia, Malmo and Norrkoping in Sweden (2008  - 1010).
2005 Combined South African showcase called Imprints, Axis Gallery. New York, USA.
2004 Inside Aids. Aids exposé in South Africa. Travelled to Brussels, Antwerp and Chicago.
Dreamtime in Breathless Spaces. Biennial International – Fotofreo. Photofestival. Freemantle, Australia.
2003 Dreamtime selection: Noorderlight Photo Event. Groningen, Netherlands.

Permanent collections held at:

2011 The Smithsonian Institute (USA)
2009 University of South Africa (South Africa)
2008 Cape Town University South Africa)
2007 Duke University (USA)
2002 The Apartheid Museum (South Africa)
1999 Finnish School of Photography (Helsinki, Finland)
1997 Rotterdam Museum of Ethnology (Holland)
1994 South African National Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa)
1992 Oxfam and Anti-Apartheid Movement (Belgium)

(Corporate Collections:
BHP Billiton
Anglo American
De Beers
Anglo Platinum
Lonmin
Standard Bank

Books – monographs and collected works

The Edge of Town – Monograph. Graphis/Highveld Publishing. 2011.
Graeme Williams Photographe – Editions de L'Ceil. Selection of recent work. 2010
The Inner City. Exploring isolation through life in Johannesburg. 2000.
The Floor. A book documenting the last year of open outcry trading
on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. 1996.

Local and international photographic book contributions – (selection)

Figures and Fictions  - Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 2011
Darkroom – Photography and new Media in South Africa since 1950 – Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 2010
Encounters of Bamako -African Photography Biennial – Mali 2009
Beyond Beauty – Duke University 2009
The Endless City – Urban Age. Phaidon. 2008
Then and Now: Eight South African Photographers contribute 10 images taken before the 1994 (SA's first democratic election) and ten images post. 2008
Moving in Time: 10 years of South African Democracy.  2004
Within Reach: Hope for the Global Aids Epidemic. (Book and European  
traveling exhibition starting in Barcelona). 2002

Publications

National Geographic Magazine (USA), Time Magazine (USA), Newsweek Magazine (USA), Stern Magazine (Germany), Sunday Telegraph Magazine (UK) New York Times Magazine (USA), Photography Magazine (UK), Marie Claire Magazine (UK), The Guardian Weekend Magazine (UK), Die Zeit Magazine (Germany), Frank Magazine (UK), Greenpeace Magazine (Germany), The Australian, Colors Magazine (Benetton).