Chilling image from January 26 that stops gallery-goers in their tracks

A small black-and-white photograph, hung at child's eye level, is stopping gallery-goers in their tracks at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in Darwin. Titled 'The Targets,' the image by young Kija artist River Bali captures a shyly smiling young girl on her father's shoulders, who wears an Aboriginal flag T-shirt.

The work, taken in Perth/Boorloo on January 26, references a homemade bomb that was thrown into an Invasion Day march crowd but failed to detonate. The photograph is a finalist in Australia's most prestigious First Nations art awards, selected from over 200 entries.

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Wow, this is really important. This is a current issue and an alarming statement about racism in Australia.

Shannon Brett, curator of the awards, described the photograph as "really important" and an "alarming statement about racism in Australia." The image highlights the vulnerability of Indigenous children alongside "undeniable First Nations resilience," Bali stated. He added that the photograph stands as a testament to their enduring spirit, holding firm and lifting the next generation despite violent threats.

The awards showcase a variety of styles and mediums from 64 finalists across the country, including traditional canvas, bark, multimedia, and 3D works. Brett noted the increasing quality of entries each year, with a significant number of emerging artists among the finalists.

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Ultimately, the photograph stands as a testament to our enduring spirit, holding firm and lifting up the next generation despite violent threats.