I think of my Culture

Jeffrey Samuels (b. 1956) is a Ngiyampaa/Ngemba painter, illustrator, designer, mixed media artist and printmaker. This conceptual 1989 self-portrait was created during a particularly fertile period when he was participating in groundbreaking exhibitions such as Koori Art '84 at Artspace, Sydney – which marked the emergence of the urban Aboriginal artists' movement – and, as one of the founding members of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, appeared in Michael Riley's film Boomalli: Five Koorie Artists (1988). I think of my Culture combines a representational portrait of the artist's face with a visual evocation of his memory, culture and Country. Made in watercolour, pen, brush and ink, in the colours of the Aboriginal flag, it is a powerful affirmation of his Aboriginal identity and cultural heritage. Along with being a practising artist, Samuels has taught art in schools, tertiary institutions and prisons, lectured in contemporary Aboriginal art at the University of Copenhagen, and spent several periods as an arts administrator.

Gift of John Lane 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Jeffrey Samuels/Copyright Agency, 2024