We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of New South Wales stands.

Ricky Maynard

Ricky Maynard Wik Elder, Gladys from the series Returning to places that name us 2000, Art Gallery of New South Wales © Ricky Maynard/Copyright Agency

Ricky Maynard Wik Elder, Gladys 2000 from the series Returning to places that name us 2000, Art Gallery of New South Wales © Ricky Maynard/Copyright Agency

Wik Elder, Gladys 2000

from the series Returning to places that name us
Ricky Maynard’s series Returning to the places that name us features five Wik Elders, their faces intense and uncompromising. Wik Elder, Gladys captures Gladys Tybingoompa, who, movingly, sang and danced outside the High Court of Australia in celebration of the 1996 decision that the issuing of pastoral leases did not extinguish native title.

Tybingoompa grew up on the mission at Aurukun in Queensland and was keenly aware of the injustices she experienced, as well as the richness of the cultural inheritance of the five clans of the Wik people. Through his photographs, Maynard reminds us that the Wik decision is not some abstract legal ruling, but a personal fight for recognition undertaken by resolute Wik Elders for their community and for future generations. As Tybingoompa stated: ‘I’m a proud woman of Cape York today. It is for me, here today, a historic moment as a Wik woman. I am not afraid of anything.’

  • K–6 discussion questions

    • Describe the subject of the photograph Wik Elder, Gladys. What is her facial expression and where is she looking? Does she look comfortable being photographed? The artist spent time getting to know his subject before taking her photo. Do you think that has affected the resulting photograph? Do you feel more relaxed being photographed by someone you know well? 

  • K–6 activities

    • Write a description of someone you know well. Record their physical features and characteristics; the way they move, dress and speak; the things they like to do and the things you like about them. Are they funny, clever, generous? Read the description out to your class and see if they recognise your subject. 

    • Paint a portrait of a friend or family member. Make preparatory drawings of this person, observing them closely. Notice the shape of their face and individual features. Try to capture their expression and mood. Choose colours that reflect their character. 

  • 7–12 discussion questions

    • Study the photographic portrait Wik Elder, Gladys. How is it at once intimate and monumental? Discuss what can be interpreted about the subject’s character, experiences and histories from her face. Assess the importance of scale and medium.

    • This photograph is part of a series of portraits of Wik Elders from Aurukun in western Cape York, Queensland, called Returning to places that name us. View the other works from the series and discuss how the collective effect of the series differs from seeing one photograph.

  • 7–12 activities

    • Document your group of friends in individual photographic portraits. Consider composition, lighting and focus. Will you choose black and white or colour? Assess the impact of the collection as a whole. Discuss what the photographs communicate about you and your world in this time and place. 

    • Explore the properties of light and how it is essential to photography. Make a pinhole camera and observe the image created. How is the projected image different from the original object or scene? Consider size, orientation and colour. 

    • Research the historic decision on native title by the High Court of Australia in 1996, known as the Wik decision, and its effect on the land rights movement in Australia.