The First Nations Art Collection at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre celebrates the depth, diversity and continuing strength of First Nations creativity in Queensland.
It features major works by leading Waanyi artist Judy Watson, Kamilaroi photographer Dean Saffron, and Yuggera and Biri artist Jody Rallah among other significant works.
Brisbane has long been home to many of Australia’s contemporary Indigenous artists. Their presence within the collection helps ground the Centre in the knowledge, culture and outstanding of artistic practices of the local region, as well as Queensland more broadly. These works recognise the vital role of First Nations artists in shaping the state’s cultural landscape, while ensuring their voices remain visible in a prominent public space.
Dean Saffron – All Shades Collection
Featuring 32 large-scale portraits by Kamilaroi artist Dean Saffron, this photography series captures Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across Queensland and the Torres Strait.
Each portrait is a collaboration, with participants choosing how and where they are represented, shaped by their own identities and experiences. As Saffron explains, “the people in these portraits are the storytellers.”
Created through extensive travel and commissioned by State Library Queensland, the project forms part of a lasting visual and oral history archive, now on view at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
