Torres Strait Lightening Fighter

'Torres Strait Lightening Fighter' was conceived as a triptych in series by Ellen Jose titled 'Black Digger Ghost Fighter'. It is both a commemorative portrait of her father's Pte "Gorie" Jose's wartime service and a broader examination of the complexities of being an Indigenous Australian soldier.

Jose commented, "through this series of work, I hope to not only show the effects the war had on my father, but at the same time acknowledge the forgotten contribution which the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made towards the Australian war effort during the Second World War."

The work is imbued with cultural and symbolic references. These include motifs such as the Islander wartime dancer in an aeroplane headdress, and the omnipresent coastline in the Torres Strait which frames the composition. The stars denote the navigational role they play in the pacific ocean, and the struggle of some Indigenous soldiers to be awarded service medals following their repatriation. The winding path is a recurring theme in Jose's work and marks both the personal journeys of Jose's father and his fellow servicemen along the Kokoda trail.