USQ alumnus goes down in history

Faculty of Arts graduate Christian Bumbarra Thompson has made history by becoming the first Aboriginal person to attend the prestigious University of Oxford, where he will be pursuing a doctorate in Fine Art.

Christian is a photographer, conceptual and performance artist. His work is held in numerous private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, and galleries in The Netherlands and Germany. Actress Cate Blanchett is also a fan of Christian’s work, reportedly having recently purchased three of his photographs.

In 1996, Christian arrived at USQ as an 18-year-old to study a Bachelor of Visual Arts. Faculty of Arts lecturer Alexis Tacey taught Christian in his first year and remembers him as someone who worked quietly and steadily and who really enjoyed the process of learning and discovering.

Christian’s work has since been described as a leading force in the exploration of issues of identity, race and history in Australia. Ms Tacey said his early years at USQ may have provided a good foundation for him to examine his practice in both a contemporary arts setting and as an Indigenous Australian.

'It was (former lecturer in sculpture) Ann-Maree Reany who probably had a big influence as she was great at getting her students to think about what they are really interested in and to look in their own identity for inspiration,' Ms Tacey said.

Ms Tacey said Christian’s art was accessible in the way he uses signals, language and context to highlight a substantial message, particularly in regard to race and racism.

'His work is so cheeky, it uses humour but really cuts to the bone,' Ms Tacey said.

After completing his studies at USQ, Christian went on to study further in Fine Arts, completing a Masters at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He has since completed a highly coveted international residency at DasArt Advanced studies for Performing Arts in Amsterdam. Christian is at University of Oxford thanks to the inaugural Charlie Perkins scholarship, which was set up to enable Indigenous Australian students to study at the University. Charlie Perkins was the first Indigenous Australian university graduate who, reportedly, was inspired to return to Australia for university studies during a football game against the University of Oxford.