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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

James, Rebecca and Sam Mapu

2021
James Tylor (collaborator), Craig Tuffin (collaborator) and Dr Elisa deCourcy (collaborator)

1/4 plate daguerreotype in a leather case lined with Nantu Watpa Grey Kangaroo fur, edition 1/1 (case: 12.1 cm x 19.0 cm depth 1.2 cm, closed: 12.1 cm x 9.5 cm depth 1.8 cm, image: 9.8 cm x 7.0 cm)

James Tylor (b. 1986) is an Australian multi-disciplinary contemporary visual artist. He was born in Mildura, Victoria. He is of Nunga (Kaurna Miyurna), Māori (Te Arawa) and European (English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch and Norwegian) heritage. He spent his childhood in Menindee in far west New South Wales, and then moved to Kununurra and Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in his adolescent years. From 2003 to 2008, James trained and worked as a carpenter in Australia and Denmark. Tylor holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Photography) from the South Australian School of Art in Adelaide and in 2012 he completed Honours in Fine Arts (Photography) at the Tasmanian School of Art in Hobart.

Based in Canberra, Tylor has exhibited extensively across Australia in both solo and group exhibitions and is represented in collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Monash University Museum of Art, Shepparton Art Museum, Artbank, Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum, USA, and the Australian Embassy, Washington DC. From 2013, he returned to Adelaide and further completed a Masters in Visual Arts and Design (Photography) at the South Australian School of Art. Since completing his tertiary education, he continually researches Indigenous and European colonial history with a deep focus on South Australia and Kaurna history.

Within his creative practice, Tylor is known to traverse and combine various photographic techniques, including 19th century daguerreotype, wet-plate and digital format, while simultaneously combining photography with carved, engraved, cast and collaged methods. Tylors multidisciplinary practice often incorporates and is informed by various modes of curation, research and academia. Through this, he consistently addresses the ongoing impacts of settler-colonisation within Australia that exist culturally, politically and environmentally.

Purchased 2022
© Craig Tuffin and Dr Elisa deCourcy. James Tylor/Copyright Agency, 2024

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Craig Tuffin (age 52 in 2021)

Dr Elisa deCourcy (age 35 in 2021)

James Tylor (age 35 in 2021)

Subject professions

Visual arts and crafts

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency