About the Artist Born in Geelong and currently living in Melbourne, I only discovered art later in life and have been experimenting with various mediums for several months with all my techniques being self taught. My art serves as a form of self therapy as I connect with my culture and enjoy looking at subjects whose names and identities may have been forgotten to time, or those who are considered trailblazers and champions of Indigenous rights and culture. About the Artwork Western photographers would regularly portray Aboriginal people as savages and force subjects to engage in pantomime like displays of savageness. The original photograph was taken by Thomas Bevan in the 1860’s and despite being brought to a position where he needed (or was forced) to pose, it is impossible to ignore the strength within this man as he is forced to leave his traditional way of life and have western culture imposed upon him - I use smoke in my works to represent the fragile and diminishing nature of traditional knowledge. The red ink represents the blood of the nameless First Nations people captured in photos and black ink the sorrow that these people must feel as their world comes to an end.