WE THE PEOPLE: A SERIES OF PORTRAITS BY THERESE RITCHIE

Therese Ritchie is a practicing artist, experienced writer, portrait photographer and graphic designer. She has been living and working in the Northern Territory for over 30 years, co-owning GreenAnt Research Arts and Publishing in the 90s and then forming her own business, Black Dog Graphics, in 2002.

This new photographic exhibition celebrates the lives of LGBTQIA+ people living in Darwin and show how diverse and truly special our community is.

Words by Therese:

We the People is a distinctive, 12 month, photographic process working with individuals and families from the LGBTQI+ community with the aim of creating a series of portraits that best describe/s their individual and collective voices. The realisation of this project, as discussed and agreed upon with each model or models will culminate in an exhibition for Sugarbag Festival 2022 and for that collection of work to then be placed into the Queer Collection within the Library and Archives NT.

The process of taking the photos creates a space for people to express themselves safely and without judgment, giving a voice to otherwise silenced or unexplored aspects of themselves and their relationships.

The space is held in such a way that people are able to explore and discuss vulnerable issues with the aim of being able to create the portrait that best describes themselves. The outcome can be empowering, liberating and often joyful.

With the final outcome being:

• An exhibition celebrating uniqueness, diversity and cohesion; and;

• The exhibition then being placed into the Queer Collection within the Library and Archives NT.

The project’s end result which will be open to the public, will celebrate, connect and affirm the LGBTQI+ community’s humanity, create deeper connections within the community and extend outwards into the broader community. Being part of the Library and Archives NT’s Queer collection will elevate people’s self respect and dignity, offering a relevance and a place in this communities history.

Event social photos: Leicoln Mckellar Photography | http://www.leicolhnmckellarphotography.com.au

To be a part of this ever-growing project reach out to our team direct via our Instagram page.