The Percivals 2026

About the Artwork

Aunty Rhonda, a Yamatji Noongar Elder, is part of Australia’s Stolen Generations. She was forcibly removed from her family at age three and placed in a strict church-run institution. She saw her father only once more: at his funeral. After enduring further trauma, including a police gun held to her head, she fled across the country to Queensland, where she rebuilt her life, earning a fine arts degree. Now in her 70s, she dedicates herself to mentoring Indigenous youth.

This portrait captures her extraordinary strength and resilience, while her eyes reveal the profound grief of dispossession—separation from Country, culture, and family. The viewer glimpses the weight of lived experience and intergenerational trauma.

Printed on large-scale translucent fabric, the work responds to light and air, creating movement and dimensionality that brings the portrait to life, echoing the vitality of Aunty Rhonda’s spirit.

About the Artist

Jim Filmer is a visual artist and photographer born in Adelaide (Kaurna Country), now based in the Brisbane Valley, where Yuggara, Ugarapul, Jagera, and Dungibara lands intersect. Jim has been finalist in the Brisbane Portrait Prize (2025) and Regional Queensland Arts Awards (2025); selected for the biennial ‘Volatile Terrain’ at The Condensery, Somerset Regional Gallery; and finalist in the Contemporary Australian Photographic Prize.

Filmer’s current practice investigates materiality and presentation, exploring how light interacts with and transforms subjects. Recent collaborations with Elders inspired exploration of his own heritage, uncovering connections to the Nharangga people of South Australia—a cultural journey that continues to enrich his artistic practice.