31/08/2026
30 YEARS, 30 ARTWORKS
During 2026, we're sharing stories and standout pieces from the Art Collection to celebrate 30 years of UniSC.
We asked our colleague, Dr Tricia King, to choose her favourite work in the collection. Since Tricia teaches photography, we were about 99% sure she'd pick a photograph ... and she did: William Yang's 'Ben Law, Arncliffe.'
Trica says, "This photograph feels like a conversation between two remarkable storytellers. Together, William Yang and Benjamin Law create a work that celebrates visibility, identity and the courage of allowing yourself to be seen."
Drawing on his own lived experience, William Yang offers an unflinching lens on life. Based in Sydney, his work is shaped by his upbringing in north Queensland as a gay man from a third-generation Chinese immigrant family. Best known for his joyful and reflective documentation of Australia's q***r scene through the late '70s and '80s, Yang's photographs also reveal raw, vulnerable and sometimes confronting moments.
Storytelling sits at the heart of his practice. Recognising that many images held stories beyond what the photo alone could tell, he began writing directly onto his prints, giving voice to marginalised communities and their untold narratives.
This can be seen here in this photograph of writer and broadcaster, Benjamin Law. The inscription says, “William Yang’s great superpower is his capacity to disarm. His quietly cheeky charm ensures people are comfortable in that most searingly uncomfortable of situations, being examined and exposed in front of a camera. In William’s presence you just forget. One moment you're talking about work and gossiping about friends, the next you’re shirtless, and down to your jocks as he snaps away.”
We think Tricia's right. This work captures the dialogue between two great storytellers.
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art.designaustralia
