Finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023
Title: 'BLOOD/MEMORY: BRENDA & CHRISTOPHER I (GURINDJI/MALNGNIN/MUDBURRA; MARA/NANDI/NJARRINDJERRI/RITHARRNGU; ANGLO-AUSTRALIAN/CHINESE/GERMAN/IRISH/SCOT) 2021, 2022
Artist: Brenda L Croft, Prue Hazelgrove (Photographic Assistant)
National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023 Finalist
Artist statement: blood/memory: Christopher is my son/great-nephew/grandson, I am Christopher's mother/great-aunt/grandmother. His great-grandmother is my father's older sister. They shared the same non-Indigenous father, different First Nations mothers, but still looked like peas in a pod. Our combined bloodlines include Gurindji/Malgnin/Mudburra peoples and Anglo-Australian/Chinese/German/Irish for me, Mara/Nandi/Ngarrindjeri/Ritharrngu and Anglo-Australian/Irish for Christopher. My grandfather/Christopher's great-great-grandfather's journey into the Northern Territory over a century ago is reflected in this portrait. It is a gift to share Christopher's life and I learn from him every day – blood/memory. Marntaj.
The National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.
Finalist in the 2023 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards
2023 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (Telstra NATSIAA) is the longest running Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art awards and richest art awards in the country. This exhibition, held on Larrakia Country and online, celebrates exemplary artistic practice and reflects contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art from across this continent.
More about the prize.
Professor Brenda L Croft is a Professor in Indigenous Art History & Curatorship at the ANU School of Art & Design. Researcher's profile.