After establishing successful photography galleries in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing, camera manufacturer Ricoh has now opened its first GR Space in the southern hemisphere, located in Brisbane's Spring Hill neighborhood. The new community hub and gallery, which revolves around Ricoh's cult-favorite GR series cameras, opened this week in a former Federal Police building on Wharf Street.
The original GR Space opened in Tokyo last year as a sleekly designed community hub celebrating Ricoh's GR series of cameras, which gained cult status among street photographers during the mid-2010s. These compact digital cameras, which evolved from the original 1996 analog version, have become highly sought after by photography enthusiasts for their portability and image quality.
Clem Kennedy, whose Sydney-based family company CR Kennedy & Company spearheaded the Brisbane location, says he's often asked why Brisbane was chosen for this expansion. His response is characteristically straightforward: "Why not?" Kennedy's company purchased the former Federal Police building in Spring Hill in 2021 and was also instrumental in bringing popular South Melbourne Japanese restaurant Komeyui to Brisbane as one of the building's tenants.
Kennedy represents another southern believer in Brisbane's ongoing post-pandemic, pre-Olympic growth. "The region – Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast – is one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia," Kennedy explains. "And with that growth, we're seeing growth in the artistic and cultural side of Brisbane as well. So, we think it's perfect to be a part of that and contribute to that growth."
The Brisbane GR Space opening coincides strategically with the launch of the GR IV, the fourth generation of the digital camera series. CR Kennedy & Company has maintained a distribution relationship with Ricoh since the latter acquired the Pentax imaging system business, building on CR Kennedy's role as the Australian Pentax distributor since 1954. "The [GR IV] launch sped us up, yes," Kennedy acknowledges. "We've been working on [the gallery] from the start of this year or late last year. But when we had the GR IV launch pencilled in, we [thought we] have to get it to coincide."
Visitors familiar with GR Spaces in Tokyo, Shanghai, or Beijing will immediately recognize the Brisbane location's aesthetic. This consistency is intentional, as Ricoh specified exact materials and layout requirements for the gallery. "It had to be built to that exact specification and corporate identity of the GR Space in Tokyo," Kennedy notes. "So we had to model it completely off that gallery."
Local architects Series Two and builders Iridium collaborated to realize the final space, featuring aggregate concrete floors, grey gallery walls, and timber banquette units that include shelving for photographic books curated by Booktopia. The attention to detail required extensive coordination. "It took a lot of back and forth between our builders and our architect here, and then the team in the Ricoh HQ in Japan to get it exactly right," Kennedy explains.
The space launched Thursday night with an exhibition titled "IV," featuring work from four Australian photographers shot using the new GR IV camera. However, the venue's ambitions extend beyond static displays. Kennedy envisions the space as a dynamic meeting place where photographers, artists, and enthusiasts can connect, learn, and showcase their work.
"It's not just a static gallery," Kennedy emphasizes. "We're also using the space as more like an artistic community center where people who are interested in photography as an art form can meet up and discuss their passion for photography. So it's really meant to be a community, art center and a cultural meeting point, not just a gallery."
GR Space Brisbane operates Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM at 203 Wharf Street, Spring Hill, positioning itself as both a cultural destination and a testament to Brisbane's growing arts scene ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
