Colleen Strangways: Wathlu Anthunda (My World)

Arabana, Mudbura, Gurindji and Warlpiri photographer Colleen Strangways has collected her life’s work (so far) into a remarkable series of vivid imagery on display at the Adelaide Town Hall – accompanied by a striking photography exhibit (UV Songlines: Illuminating Ancestral Roots in the nearby Paul Kelly Lane.One of Colleen’s signature flairs in photography is the inclusion of iconography from the lands her subjects belong to.This process is something that inspired her initial passion for photography, reciting memories of looking back on images of her family and the landscape of her Country as sources of inspiration.Having Country incorporated into the portrait photographs allows Colleen to quickly engage her audiences with key details relating to their lives and ancestry.Altogether, Wathlu Anthunda brings together 38 striking portraits of First Nations people from 30 communities, created across the course of Ms Strangways 15-year career. AW sat down with Ms Strangways and Adnyamathanha and Narungga exhibit contributor, Zane Weetra, to discuss the creative process behind this collection of works.