Can colonial depictions of Indigenous people tell us anything useful about the past?   

How do Indigenous people today feel about these enduring images?    

Unsettling Portraits is a three-part series exploring the history of portraiture and colonialism, alongside contemporary First Nations responses. 

Indigenous artists and historians in Australia, the Pacific and North America discuss the practice of colonial portraiture, including Daniel Browning, Jo Rey, Alice Te Punga Somerville, Gordon Henry and Joseph Pierce. 

And you'll hear about the ways in which contemporary artists like Daniel Boyd, Michel Tuffery and the late Destiny Deacon have turned back the gaze on settlers with their art. 

Join acclaimed historians Kate Fullagar and Mike McDonnell as they and their collaborators wrestle with the portraits of our colonial past in History Lab Season 6: Unsettling Portraits.

Credits

History Lab is a UTS Impact Studios production.

• Producers: Catherine Freyne and Helene Thomas.  
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• Story Consultant: Siobhan McHugh 
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• Sound Engineer: Martin Peralta  
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• Production support: Jane Curtis, Britta Jorgensen and Celine Teo-Blockey 
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• Additional tile design and podcast artwork: Alexandra Morris 
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• Executive Producer: Sarah Gilbert