Wayne Quilliam
Wayne Quilliam is one of Australia’s most respected Indigenous photographers and has documented significant Indigenous events, including the Apology to the Stolen Generations in 2008 and the 1967 Referendum 40th Anniversary in 2007. He has photographed cultural and music events such as the Garma, Laura, Burunga and Dreaming Festivals. Wayne also works with Indigenous groups in Mexico, Bolivia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Guam and he is currently developing an intercultural exchange between Indigenous photographers around the world.
In harmony with his photojournalistic work he is recognised as one of the country’s top 100 artists for his ‘Lowanna’ art, which infuses textures of earth over bodies. It is estimated that his photographic documentary on the Apology, featured in the ‘Sorry: more than a word’ exhibition at Parliament House in Canberra, was seen by more than a quarter of a million people.
Wayne was the first Indigenous photographer to headline the International Foto Biennale and has created and curated more than 100 exhibitions around the world. He recently held exhibitions at Australia’s premier Indigenous art gallery, Tandanya, the National Museum of Australia and, internationally, in Vienna, Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Tokyo, Moscow, Mexico, Guam and Jakarta. In December this year, he will exhibit in Cairo, Beirut and Riyadh and in February 2011, he will take his show to Sardinia, Italy.
In 2008, Wayne was the recipient of the Australian Human Rights Commission Media Award for his work on the Apology and has been a finalist in the prestigious Walkley Awards for his social documentary on the Redfern Riots in 2004. In 2009, Wayne was named Artist of the Year in the National NAIDOC Awards for his work with Indigenous people from all over the world.
The below artwork was featured in the Indigenous Law Bulletin September / October 2010 Volume 7 Issue 20.
