Christine Christophersen

Born in Darwin her mother’s country is located in Kakadu National Park she is of the Iwatja language group, northwest Arnhem Land. In 1986 she worked as a community worker and progressed into a journalism cadetship for SBS (Special Broadcasting Services) Television in Sydney, then ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) radio in Darwin and in the CAAMA (Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association) newsroom in Alice Springs. During that time she was also a founding Board Member guiding the development of Darwin’s Aboriginal medical service, Danila Dilba. In 1989 Christine became the first executive officer for TEABBA (Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association). In later years she was appointed executive officer for ANKAAA (Association of Northern Kimberly and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists).In 1992 Christine progressed from assistant researcher to researcher at the Australian National Universities Darwin campus, NARU (North Australian Research Unit), as was employed by the Central and Kimberly Land Councils.
Christine has co-authored published essays on a number of regional Aboriginal economic issues. Her involvement in local and national Aboriginal concerns led her to her first campaign against ERA (Energy Resources of Australia’s) Ranger uranium mine in Kakadu National Park in 1995. She was then appointed project officer/consultant for the Kakadu regions Gundjehmni Aboriginal Corporation.
In 1999, during the ultimately successful campaign against the uranium mine, Christine served 10 days in Darwin’s Berrimah jail for non-payment of a fine (for trespassing on the Ranger lease, which is on Aboriginal land). She then moved to Sydney where she commenced guest lecturing at the Tranby Aboriginal Cooperative College while adopting an informal position as artist in residence. She subsequently served on the board of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative. In early 2001 Christine returned to Darwin, and then her mothers land in Kakadu National Park. In 2003 Christine was invited to participate in the Burragorang International Artist Camp in NSW and the accompanying Burragorang exhibition she was then invited also to Lilihamer (Norway) as a speaker and contributing artist to the “Steder/places” International Artist Conference of the Year. In 2005 she won an international residency and went to Lille France. She spent two and a half months giving a number of lectures at Art Schools and Universities and the public. She presented a solo exhibition of her work “Blue Print” at Maison Folie in Lille, which ended in December. While in France she made her first print “The Balance of Men and Women” in collaboration with print master Alain Buyse. This work was highly commended in the Fremantle Print Award in 2006. Christine was also in Hawaii on an 18 day residency as a visiting scholar at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu in 2006. Christine has appeared on ABCTV‘s Painting Australia. She did a residency in Brisbane at the Fireworks Gallery mid 2006 and then had a solo show at Boomalli in October, showing Blueprint to a southern audience.