Specialising in experimental and historical photographic processes, Ramsay Art Prize finalist James Tylor uses art to explore his Kaurna, Māori and European heritage in Australia.
Pardu presents a series of Becquerel daguerreotypes of local animals in the Adelaide region, to which he has applied the Indigenous Kaurna names. Unfortunately, renaming local animals in the Kaurna language is challenging because only records come from 19th-century European colonists in South Australia, who compiled basic word lists without images.
These records often contained phonetic errors and frequently misidentified species by confusing them with similar looking animals, which makes re-identifying the animal difficult today. In his work, Tylor reclaims the Indigenous Kaurna names of rightful animals, giving power and voice to the Kaurna language and culture after 200 years of the impact of European colonisation.
James Tylor finalist in 2025 Ramsay Art Prize
Photo by Paul Steed.
30 Jul 2025
