silver gelatin print
25o x 200mm, unframed
edition of 20

Jasmine Togo-Brisby is an Australian South Sea Islander based in Meanjin/Brisbane. Her work explores the neglected histories of the Pacific slave trade, euphemistically known as ‘blackbirding’. As children, her ancestors were brought from Vanuatu to Australia to work as domestic servants, then on a planation.

This self portrait is one of a series of images she made of herself, her mother, and her daughter, addressing intergenerational trauma. The photographs mimic historical studio portraits: the sitters wear old fashioned clothes and the images were made using the early tin-type technique. The artist wears a headdress in the form of a tall ship, recalling those used to transport her people to Australia, as if this were literally weighing on her mind.

In this IMA edition, Togo-Brisby’s tintype original is reproduced as a silver gelatin print.

IMA Editions are limited-edition works exclusively for sale in our onsite and online store. Editions make collecting high-quality contemporary art affordable and accessible. All funds raised contribute to the IMA’s exhibition program, which focuses on commissioning new work from Australian artists at pivotal points in their careers.