© National Portrait Gallery 2025
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These portraits of renowned Murri blues singer Syvanna Doolan (1950–2013) are two of the five photographs of Doolan included in A book about Australian women. Doolan was a prominent member of the National Black Theatre and was one of the first First Nations women to perform at the Sydney Opera House. Founded in Redfern by Aboriginal rights activists including Gary Foley, Paul Coe and Lester Bostock, the National Black Theatre, which operated 1972 to 1977, had its origins rooted in the Land Rights movement.
In the background of the second portrait is Ngugi journalist John Newfong (1943–1999), a pivotal figure in the First Nations rights struggle. Newfong’s presence and Doolan’s direct gaze echo other compositions within the book and demonstrate Jerrems’ drive to create layered portraits that reveal their time and context.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Gift of Mrs Joy Jerrems 1981.
© The Estate of Carol Jerrems
Carol Jerrems: Portraits is a major exhibition of one of Australia’s most influential photographers. Jerrems’ intimate portraits of friends, lovers and artistic peers transcend the purely personal and have come to shape Australian visual culture.
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