Mother Earth Burn

A photographic exhibition by: Michael Jalaru Torres

Opening:
Thursday 24 October 6:00–8:00pm

Mother earth burns as scars tattoo across her skin, her life-giving flow dried to dust while her tears are salty to the tongue as her voice burns red as she cries out to those who are willing to listen to her song.

A collection of works showcasing the environmental effects on native land by human development and how it effects Native peoples connect to country. Using imagery frozen in time of ghostly figures on landscape with songs of wind, water and fire echoing across a timeless country.

About:
Michael is an Indigenous photographer and media professional from Broome, Western Australia, who is now currently based in Naarm Melbourne, Victoria. As a Djugan and Yawuru man with tribal connections to Jabirr Jabirr and Gooniyandi people, he is inspired by the unique landscapes and people of the Kimberley region, which feature prominently in his work.

"My photography draws on my own stories and personal history and explores contemporary social and political issues facing Indigenous people. Much of my work involves conceptual and innovative portraiture and abstract landscape photography.

Through my portraits of people taken ‘on country’ I promote positive and individualised representations of Indigenous people. I also incorporate etching, drawing and other design work into my conceptual photography, combining traditional and iconic Kimberley imagery within a modern aesthetic.

I am a self-taught photographer and was drawn to photography as a visual medium because of its accessibility and the challenge of capturing stories in single images. I experiment regularly with different mediums, and I am interested in expanding my photography into installations and motion work and pushing the boundaries of how conceptual photography can be used in virtual reality."

His works has been featured in exhibitions nationally and internationally, including:

Native – Pingyao International Photography Festival – Pingyao, China (2019)
Collect – Galerie KUB – Leipzig, Germany (2019)
Native – Head On Photo Festival, Cooee Art Gallery – Sydney, Australia (2019)
Desert River Sea – Art Gallery of Western Australia – Perth, Australia (2019)
Embrace – Sydney Contemporary Art Fair – Sydney, Australia (2018)
Scar – Head On Photo Festival (feature photographer) – Sydney, Australia (2018)
Scar II – Perth, Australia (2018)
Scar I – Perth, Australia (2017)