Miriam Charlie’s photographs show the reality of her community and her Country in a form traversing documentary and art photography.
A proud Garrwa / Yanyuwa woman, Miriam Charlie has lived her entire life in Borroloola, 1,000 kilometres south east of Darwin, documenting community life with a Polaroid camera. The intimacy of her photos is reminiscent of our own family photographs, reframing the experience of life in a remote community through the lens of compassion, dignity and respect. This low-fi technology removes the need for bulky equipment and editing, retaining complete agency over her projects.
Miriam is telling a contemporary, remote community story through her unique perceptive, representing a turning point in documentary photography. Each polaroid is an individual object - not to be replicated but original and unique with Miriam’s handwritten notes.