Painting Nova
Jandamarra Cadd
- Sitter: Nova Peris
- Medium: Oil on Canvas
- Dimensions: 150 x 150 cm
- Representation: The artist represents themselves
About the artwork and sitter
Nova Peris OAM is a trailblazer in sport, politics and indigenous rights. She was the first Aboriginal Australian to win Olympic gold in two sports, hockey and athletics. She was Australian of the Year in 1997, and the first Aboriginal woman elected to the Australian Parliament as Senator for NT. She has worked across many organisations including Griffith University Youth Suicide Prevention.
“This painting is capturing a visual narrative of Nova Peris being painted up just before she delivered her inaugural speech in Parliament. It was ceremony, as her words were derived from the understanding that she was not only speaking on behalf of the many footsteps that had walked this land before her. But also the many more yet to come.”
About the artist
Jandamarra Cadd is a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Warung descendent. He describes himself as an aboriginal portrait artist, and seeks to bridge the story telling divide between Aboriginal and mainstream Australia. His artwork is emotive and insightful, and he has been a finalist in many national prizes. In 2020, he was the sitter in a portrait by Jess Le Clerc which won the BPP Courier-Mail People’s Choice Award.
