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This tight crop offers a close encounter with the contemplative and alert young face of Ron Johnson of the Gunditjmara people, who was one of Jerrems’ students at Heidelberg Technical College. Johnson was perhaps more than just a student; close friends, the two were also thought to be in a relationship.
Through this friendship, Jerrems came to know Johnson’s family, particularly his sister Rosslyn and his mother, Joyce Johnson, an important First Nations arts advocate and co-founder of Australia’s first Aboriginal theatre company, Nindethana. Jerrems photographed First Nations activists throughout her career and her connection to the Johnson family facilitated many other introductions.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Gift of Mrs Joy Jerrems 1981.
© The Estate of Carol Jerrems
Carol Jerrems: Portraits is a major exhibition of one of Australia’s most influential photographers. Jerrems’ intimate portraits of friends, lovers and artistic peers transcend the purely personal and have come to shape Australian visual culture.
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