Imelda
Jason Starr
- Sitter: Imelda Miller
- Medium: Photograph
- Dimensions: 37 x 29cm
- Representation: This artist represents themselves
About the artwork and sitter
This powerful portrait of Queensland Museum Curator Imelda Miller shows two images of the sitter, side by side. As a proud Australian South Sea Islander (ASSI), Imelda works at educating the wider community about her history and heritage. Her task as a curator is to find ways for people to tell their own stories.
The way Jason Starr has presented this portrait, and the traditional wet plate collodion technique he has used, references archival images of Australian South Sea Islander slaves in cane fields.
Starr says: “It is through my friendship that I became aware of Australia’s shameful slavery past. Imelda’s eyes are closed and then open, willing the viewer to truly see her, her family’s heritage and our part in their history.
My portrait of my friend and ASSI advocate “Imelda” seeks to shine a light on this part of Australia’s past.”
About the artist
Bitten by a bug at 16, Jason Starr pursued a career in photography. Learning how to tell stories through pictures, think on his feet and always be open to the scene before his lens. He especially loves portrait photography as a medium to talk about the human condition.
