Artist Interview: Conversation with Nathanael Edwards

Nathanael Edwards is a First Nations artist based in Innisfail, North Queensland and belongs to the Dulgubarra, Bagirbarra, and Dyiribara clans of the MaMu Nation. Working across photography, sculpture, and mixed media, Edwards interrogates legacies of colonialism and ongoing systemic racism within a contemporary settler-colonial context.

Edwards’ seven photographic portraits belong to a larger body of work, Hear No, See No, Speak No. Through text and symbols, this work develops a complex dialogue that confronts the ongoing impacts of colonial violence on First Nations people. Edwards’ practice challenges the anthropological legacies of colonial photography and is shaped more broadly by momentum for national truth-telling, reconciliation and decolonisation.

This interview between Nathanael Edwards and Alinta Maguire, MAMA First Nations Curator, occurred in July 2026.

Your body of work uses signs including text, symbols, and the white hood as a way of addressing violent colonial legacies and ongoing realities of systemic racism that continue to oppress First Nations people. However, there is also a sense of resistance and cultural resilience that emerges in the recurring body paint across the figure’s chest. Could you elaborate on the semiotic exchanges within these works?

For me, these works are about holding two realities together. The white hood represents the ongoing presence of colonial violence, power, and systemic racism, while the Sacred Men's Lore markings across the model's body affirm an identity that colonialism could never erase. As a MaMu man, these markings represent cultural authority, belonging, and an enduring connection to Country and Ancestors. I use text as a form of truth-telling, exposing histories that have long been ignored or silenced. By placing these opposing symbols together, I invite viewers to confront the tension between oppression and resilience, while recognising the strength of First Nations people to endure, resist, and continue carrying culture forward.

Colonial photography has a history rooted in anthropological study, documenting First Nations peoples’ bodies in ways that were exploitative, dehumanising and disempowering. In what ways does your practice subvert photography as a colonial tool and grant agency to the figure in your work?

Photography has historically been used as a tool to define, classify, and control First Nations people. My practice intentionally reverses that relationship. Rather than being photographed through a colonial lens, the figure stands with agency, confronting the viewer on his own terms. He is never an object of study but an active participant in telling his own story. Through symbolism, text, and the careful construction of each image, I reclaim photography as a space for truth-telling and self-determination. The work asks viewers to question who has historically held the power to tell our stories and who continues to shape those narratives today. For me, the camera becomes a tool of resistance, cultural survival, and reclaiming First Nations voices.

Would you describe your practice as positioned within a broader momentum of national truth-telling, reconciliation and decolonisation?

I see my practice as contributing to a broader movement of truth telling, but my motivation begins on a personal level. As a MaMu man, I carry the responsibility of honouring my Ancestors, my community, and the stories that have too often been omitted from Australia's history. My work isn't about assigning blame; it's about creating space for honest conversations that acknowledge the past and its ongoing impacts. I believe truth-telling is essential if reconciliation is to have genuine meaning. For me, decolonisation is not only about challenging colonial narratives but also about reaffirming the strength, continuity, and authority of First Nations knowledge, culture, and identity. My work is an invitation to listen, reflect, and learn together.

Nathanael Edwards is a finalist of the 2026 National Photography Prize, presented by the MAMA Art Foundation.

On until 22 November 2026

Photography by Jeremy Weihrauch