Collection Details

Name/TitlePemulwuy Country

About this objectJamie Eastwood is a significant Darug artist living in Blacktown on Darug Country. His work reflects Aboriginal life and culture in Blacktown and the wider Western Sydney region.

In this painting, Jamie's connection to Blacktown City is through the representation of two men: the humanitarian Governor Lachlan Macquarie, and the gallant Pemulwuy, the Rainbow Warrior, who is represented in spirit by Pemulwuy's totem, the black crow. The painting symbolises both men's fight for moral and social justice for First Nations peoples, which became the foundations for the name and spirit of Blacktown City.

Artist statement:
'In this painting I wanted to acknowledge the past, the dreamtime, the spirits of my ancestors, the European arrival and the destruction they brought with them through the dispossession of land. The painting also celebrates the present as a living, surviving culture in Blacktown. It is also about securing the future through history, by recognising the events that occurred around Blacktown. Governor Macquarie set up the Native Institute in Parramatta, which was later moved to the 'Black's Town', in the area where Colebee and Nurragingy had been granted land. Pemulwuy was a fierce warrior who fought against the invasion of Koori lands. He had lots of magic but eventually lost his head.'

MakerEastwood, Jamie

Maker RoleArtist

Date Made2002

Medium and MaterialsAcrylic paint on canvas

Place MadeOceania, Australia, New South Wales, Sydney, Blacktown

Inscription and MarksSigned on lower right
Metal plaque removed

TechniquePainted

MeasurementsImage: 117 h x 86 w cm
Frame: 166 h x 135 w cm

Named CollectionBlacktown City Art Collection

Credit Line© Jamie Eastwood
Acquired 2002, Blacktown City Art Prize exhibition
Blacktown City Art Collection

Object TypePainting

Object numberBCC ETD 001