Pat Graham

Pat Graham (born 1970, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American-born photographer living in England. Graham first earned an international reputation for his photography of indie rock and punk rock musicians. His work is featured in the artwork for several notable recordings, and is also in the permanent collection at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, WA. Recent years has brought the expansion of his oeuvre into commercial photography.

Education Pat Graham holds an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the University of Westminster in London,

Early work/life In 1990, Graham was a co-organizer of a Fugazi concert at the Waukesha Expo center (see http://www.dischord.com/fugazi_live_series/waukesha-wi-usa-61590). The band stayed at Graham's family home and their visit proved inspirational for Graham, especially as Ian MacKaye introduced Graham to the Positive Force DC activist house and the people who lived there. Later that year, Graham and his friends traveled to DC for an animal rights protest march. While in DC, Graham stayed at Positive Force befriending the activists, artists, and musicians living at the house.

In January 1992, Graham relocated to Washington, DC, becoming immersed in the local underground music community. It was in Washington that Graham first earned wide recognition for his efforts documenting the riot grrrl movement, including his seminal photography of Bikini Kill. Over the next ten years, Graham toured internationally with bands such as Modest Mouse, Tortoise, June of 44, and The Make-Up, capturing their traveling experiences, as well as shooting promotional photographs for the artists. The exhibition traveled throughout the US and Europe from 1997 – 2000.

In 2001, he was Artist-in-Residence at the Grange Hall in Wakefield, RI.

In 2007, while at 96 Gillespie, the band Modest Mouse again hired Graham, this time to provide a photoblog for the band for their next two year's worth of activity. As the band's popularity was at its greatest during this period, the photoblog generated considerable attention for Graham, and his own reputation expanded into a new audience. This did not prohibit Graham from publishing his first book of select works, Silent Pictures (Akashic Books, 2007).

Recent work Chronicle Books published in 2011 Graham's second book, Instrument. Graham describes the book as documenting “...musicians and their instruments and the stories behind what they mean to them”. Amazon awarded the book a Best Book Cover for 2011.

Creative Philosophy “It really comes down to being in the right place at the right time and knowing how to compose under pressure.”

Books Silent Pictures. New York, NY: Akashic Books, 2007. Instrument. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2011. Modest Mouse 1992-2010. Brooklyn, NY: powerHouse Books, 2014.

Select exhibitions and residencies Artist-in-residence, Grange Hall, Wakefield, RI, 2001. Experience Music Project. Seattle, WA, Permanent collection Arlington Municipal Art Collection. Arlington, VA “Past Perfect.” With Melanie Standage. Transformer Gallery Washington, DC, Oct 2005; 96 Gillespie, London, UK, 2006. (see http://www.transformerdc.org/exhibitions/overview/past-perfect) "Silent Pictures a Solo Photography Exhibit by Pat Graham," Needles and Pens, Oct - Nov 2007 (see http://www.needles-pens.com/silentpicsshow.html) "Retrospect," with Melanie Standage. Space 1026, Philadelphia, Jan 2007 (see http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/arts-and-culture/editors_picks-38422824.html) "Instrument." Solo. Rough Trade, East London, Oct 2011. (see http://roughtradeshop.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/pat-graham-instrument.html) Ray Band Raw Sounds Project. Hong Kong, London, and New York, 2011. (see http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/273292/) “In Color and Black & White: The Photography of Pat Graham.” Ramp Gallery, Portland, OR, December 2012.