Hey! My name is Ben and I'm a Gunai/Kurnai man, photographer and creative from Victoria.

Project Title:

“Our Faces, Our Stories: A Portrait of Aboriginal Victoria”

Project Summary:

This project seeks funding to produce and distribute a high-quality photography portrait book capturing Aboriginal people across Victoria. The book will visually document the strength, beauty, and diversity of Aboriginal identity, family, and community in contemporary settings. It is both a cultural archive and a powerful act of self-representation, reclaiming the lens through which our history is recorded.

Project Objectives:

* To create a collection of compelling black-and-white portrait photographs of Aboriginal people across different regions of Victoria.

* To document stories and lived experiences that reflect culture, resistance, resilience, and pride.

* To publish and distribute a photography book that becomes a historical artefact for current and future generations.

* To ensure Aboriginal voices are centred in the process of storytelling and documentation.

Background & Rationale:

Aboriginal people have long been photographed through a colonial lens—objectified, misrepresented, or erased altogether. This project is an act of cultural sovereignty: a reclamation of our image and our narrative.

There is an urgent need to document history as we see it now—through our own eyes, for our own people. Our elders are ageing, our youth are rising, and our stories continue to evolve. This portrait book will ensure that our present is preserved—not through myth or media—but in our own terms, with dignity and truth.

Project Activities:

* Community Engagement: Collaborate with local Aboriginal communities, Elders, and organisations across Victoria to identify participants and obtain consent.

* Photography Sessions: Travel across urban, regional, and remote areas to photograph participants in culturally significant and personally meaningful spaces.

* Storytelling Integration: Collect short stories, quotes, and reflections from participants to accompany portraits, capturing their unique voices.

* Book Design & Printing: Work with Aboriginal designers and editors to format and print a hardcover portrait book.

* Distribution & Launch: Distribute copies to schools, libraries, Aboriginal organisations, and individuals. Hold a public book launch and photo exhibition in Victoria.

Expected Outcomes:

* A published portrait book featuring 100-200 Aboriginal individuals and families from across Victoria.

* A touring photo exhibition (optional stretch goal).

* Archival material preserved in local libraries, community centre’s, and online platforms.

* Increased representation of Aboriginal people in Australian visual history.

* Empowerment of participants through visibility and recognition.

Evaluation & Impact:

Success will be measured by the completion and distribution of the portrait book, positive feedback from participants and community, media coverage, and the long-term use of the book as an educational and cultural resource.

A post-launch survey and follow-up interviews with participants will help assess the impact on cultural pride, representation, and visibility.

Why Fund This Project:

This is more than just a book—it’s a visual time capsule. It’s a cultural act of resistance, pride, and memory. In a world where Aboriginal stories are often silenced or distorted, this project brings light to the truth of who we are—through our faces, our words, and our stories.

We are not just preserving history—we’re actively creating it.