Jonathan Jones, Kamilaroi/Wiradjuri artist Recording from the frontline, Aboriginal artist Tommy McRae created a unique body of work that captures the flux of colonisation in south-east Australia in the late 1800s. Working in parallel with the advent of photography in Australia, McRae documents vignettes with an eye for detail and framed these within his cultural standpoint at a time when Aboriginals were often voiceless. When corroborated with colonial sources including photographs and historical texts, his images can be seen as accurate historical documents, reminders and statements. McRae continues to actively contribute to the collective identity of the south-east by transmitting knowledge across time in his fine drawings.