I Feel Like I Belong
'Circle of Life' by Dylan, $350, #4959, 60cm x 75cm, acrylic on canvas, available to purchase at https://www.nsw.gov.au/arts-and-culture/boom-gate-gallery
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Mob
I am back in jail once again. I’m no stranger to jail. It would be my seventh or eighth sentence in ten years. I identify as an Indigenous man. I have since I was twenty, when my mother did the family tree. I never felt like I belonged until after following my family tree up and finding out I was from a mob in central NSW, Barkindji. I have never felt like I am where I am meant to be.
When I go to art and meet with all the other brothers, now I have started painting, I love to feel like I belong with the Koori Boys.
Moving forward, I am part of the Torch Program. I can't wait to be released and start doing art on the outside with my son. He is always wanting to do what I am doing. I would love to have a shared piece with my son.
Date Published
March 12, 2025
By About Time
A number of pieces of art by First Nations who are incarcerated in Canberra, or have previously been, are on display for the public as part of a new exhibition.
ISSUE NO. 28
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3 MIN READ
By Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN)
Something as simple as having a photo ID can have a profound impact.
ISSUE NO. 28
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2 MIN READ
By Rethinking Criminal Record Checks
If you apply for a job, you might be told to complete a criminal record check. This provides a document summarising any criminal history that can then be given to a potential employer.
ISSUE NO. 27
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3 MIN READ
By Boom Gate Gallery
Most of the art featured at Boom Gate Gallery is made at Long Bay Gaol, with some coming from other prisons in NSW.
ISSUE NO. 26
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2 MIN READ