We are normally horrified by any suggestion that we might be racist. All the same, if we look carefully at ourselves, we will probably find that there are occasions when we fall into the trap of preconception, prejudice, and stereotyping. This series of portraits was made in response to racial profiling and racist comments made by politicians, police and the media in Australia and overseas. At the Winter Olympics in February 2018, an Australian sports commentator made the remark that Chinese athletes “all look the same”. In October 2018 a US presidential candidate made a joke in which they stated that African Americans “all look alike”. In that same year police, politicians and media in Australia were accused of racially profiling African youth.
The title of this series, They are us, comes from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s speech after the terrorist attack on mosques in Christchurch, Aotearoa/New Zealand, by an Australian white supremacist in 2019.
They are us online exhibition in association with the 2021 HeadOn Photo Festival.
In 2021 They are us was selected as a finalist in the inaugural Stanthorpe Photography Awards.
