{"id":148527,"date":"2016-06-14T02:25:08","date_gmt":"2016-06-13T16:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=148527"},"modified":"2020-10-12T16:22:04","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T06:22:04","slug":"levis-lens-captures-a-new-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/06\/14\/levis-lens-captures-a-new-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Levi’s Lens Captures A New Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Levi-Craig Murray … capturing cultural diversity one portrait at a time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 14, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kingaroy portrait photographer Levi-Craig Murray has an exhibition booked in at the Wondai Art Gallery in 2018 … now he’s looking for a few more willing subjects to help him fill the walls.<\/p>\n

But this is only the first part of an art project which he admits is “audacious”.<\/p>\n

“Modern Indigenous Australia” (#mia) aims to explore cultural identities, challenge preconceptions and smash stereotypes.<\/p>\n

He began the project more than two years ago but it has been gathering momentum lately.<\/p>\n

Levi’s dream is to see his portraits projected on to walls, perhaps even on to the sails of the Opera House, to demonstrate to a wide audience the cultural diversity of modern Indigenous Australia.<\/p>\n

Levi is of Wakka Wakka descent on his father’s side, and Kalali on his mother’s.<\/p>\n

Growing up, he only saw three subjects portrayed in the media about Aboriginality: education, health and sports.<\/p>\n

Photographs of Indigenous achievement depicted sporting heroes such as Cathy Freeman, not doctors and lawyers.<\/p>\n

And “culture” was often seen only through the prism of skin colour.<\/p>\n

However, Levi said in his own family there are Dutch Aboriginal Australians – some whose skin is whiter than white – and as he has travelled around the country he has met Japanese Aboriginal Australians, Chinese Aboriginal Australians etc.<\/p>\n

“We are all intrinsically connected,” he said.<\/p>\n

Levi said his background has allowed him to see things from both an Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspective.<\/p>\n

“I am walking in two spirits, and doing it quite eloquently,” he said.<\/p>\n

Levi has good reason to feel proud.<\/p>\n

Not only is he a talented, self-taught photographer, he’s also a qualified teacher and Indigenous linguist.<\/p>\n

He works for the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services but his first love is photography, especially portraiture.<\/p>\n

Levi grew up in Wondai and attended the local school, before heading to Kingaroy State High School and tertiary studies.<\/p>\n

He has been taking photos since he was about 11, first with an old Polaroid and then disposable cameras.<\/p>\n

Later he transitioned to an SLR film camera.<\/p>\n

The limit of 24 shots to a roll – and his pocket money – imposed a discipline to his photography that he still believes in today.<\/p>\n

For example, on a recent trip to China he shot just 40 digital images, all perfectly framed.<\/p>\n

Levi has already photographed 60 subjects for his “Modern Indigenous Australia” project, but is looking for more people.<\/p>\n

He can be contacted via his Facebook page or by email<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n