Trauma vs Identity

Trauma vs Identity
2026
Acrylic on canvas
30 × 41 cm

Statistics tell us that our mob continues to face significant
challenges; intergenerational trauma, systemic disadvantage
and the ongoing impacts of colonisation. Too often, these
realities become mistaken for our identity.
This painting challenges that misconception. Our culture is
not trauma. Our culture and knowledge is carried across more
than 65,000 years. The trauma came through colonisation, not
through who we are.

The bright blue butterfly represents the resilience,
transformation and enduring strength of culture. The red
background symbolises the weight of systemic issues and
historical trauma that continue to surround our communities.
Despite this, culture remains vibrant, resilient and impossible to
extinguish.

This work calls for the separation of trauma from identity,
reminding viewers that while our history includes profound
suffering, it does not define who we are.