'Don't go kissing at the garden gate'(1) (from the sub-series 'Colour b(l)ind', from 'In my Father's house' series) 1998

The subject of these works is the life history of Brenda Croft’s father, Joseph; the series stands as a memorial to his influence on her and as a testament to her hopes for the eventual redemption of his memory and his people.

Joseph Croft was born around 1926 on Victoria River Downs in the Northern Territory – then one of the largest cattle stations in the world. He was a member of the Stolen Generation, removed from his mother at less than two years of age. The photographs chronicle Joseph’s transition through life, from time spent in a home for Aboriginal boys, to his marriage to Brenda’s white mother, to his eventual meeting with his biological mother late in life.

Across the works, the artist has layered digital collages of imagery from familial and institutional archives, interwoven with text. They visualise the distorted layers of memory, as well as the fragmented life of her father and children like him. Brenda Croft explains:

‘In My Father’s House’ is a memorial not only to my father and brother but a memorial to all those children stolen from their families and denied knowledge of their heritage. This work is about chasing and catching those memories as they fall.