QUEENSLAND.- Former Olympic athlete Cathy Freeman opened an exhibition of photographs by young people from Palm Island which will be on display at the Gallery of Modern Art until August 9, 2009.

Queensland Art Gallery Director Tony Ellwood said ‘Thru The Lens’ was an exhibition staged during NAIDOC Week as part of the Queensland Art Gallery’s Q150 Celebrations. The exhibition presents the work of young, local photographers from Palm Island ranging in age from 6 to 16 years.

‘The 18 photographs were created during a youth workshop facilitated in 2007 by Bwgcolman Future Inc., an organisation working in many areas of community development.

‘The compelling images capture members of the community and their island in a way that has rarely been seen.

‘The perspective of the children highlights beautiful forests and blue coastlines, and finds the people at work and play as they fish, dance, laugh and socialise. The exhibition will give audiences an intimate insight into the daily life of the Palm Island community through the eyes of those who call it home.

Mr Ellwood said the work by the aspiring photographers featured in the exhibition reflected a strong pride in Palm Island culture.

‘In addition to the photographs which reveal everyday activities from a Palm Islander perspective, there is an 18 minute video documentary that captures the 35 aspiring young artists at the workshop learning aspects of photography,‘ he said.

The project is supported by the Catherine Freeman Foundation, Bwgcolman Future Inc and the
Queensland Department of Communities.