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A Young Black Kangaroo
Dean Qiulin Li
19.08.2021 - 18.09.2021
In A Young Black Kangaroo, Li documents some of the stories of Woolloomooloo’s public housing community. Through intimate portraits of residents and their homes, created over two years from 2018, the artist challenges stereotypical misperceptions of public housing tenants.
Li draws attention to how public housing supports lower income-earners to live decently in society and explores the evolving character of the community. A community under pressure as the amount of public housing stock declines and entry thresholds defined by ‘need’ are raised ever higher.
A Young Black Kangaroo, Artist Book, 96 pages, hardcover, edition of 30

![Faith, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
Faith is an indigenous activist who fights for the rights of aboriginal & Torres strait islanders, as well as the minorities in Australia. We had a few cigarettes together in her backyard and she shared some of her bitter past about being both a woman and aboriginal. I photographed her in her living room.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_c20bde43a95341ad806571da09ce2b2a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_237,q_90/6b5feb_c20bde43a95341ad806571da09ce2b2a~mv2.jpg)

![Daniel, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
I didn’t think he would say yes when I ask if I can photograph him. Daniel is a well-known birdman in Woolloomooloo. He sits in his balcony every morning feeding birds. He was an architect who worked across the UK, USA and Australia. I wondered how he ended up here but he never answered.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_8964b6ff161a4e598ff2e5c299e25340~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_188,h_225,q_90/6b5feb_8964b6ff161a4e598ff2e5c299e25340~mv2.jpg)


![Passion, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
Inside Ronny's collection room](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_4a1dcad38fec4f5dbf9b029b90a9b4b9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_155,q_90/6b5feb_4a1dcad38fec4f5dbf9b029b90a9b4b9~mv2.jpg)
![Ronny, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
Ronny lives alone in his house in Bourke Street. He likes to collect all different kinds of things from old CDs to golf clubs. He recently picked up some photographic lighting from the street and wanted to sell them, but neither of us knows how much they worth.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_5f7d7655a5f8499992e3d904fb4b3f8c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_155,q_90/6b5feb_5f7d7655a5f8499992e3d904fb4b3f8c~mv2.jpg)
![Con and Chichi, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
Con was a boxing trainer from Rome. His son was murdered 11 years ago and his daughter who was a lawyer developed a mental disorder shortly after. He only had Chi-Chi as accompany when I photograph him. Sadly, Chi-Chi passed away not long after.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_3a88fda0058e4569a17e5ca1188ad8bf~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_231,q_90/6b5feb_3a88fda0058e4569a17e5ca1188ad8bf~mv2.jpg)



![Riley and Sarah, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
Riley and Sarah are a very cute couple. Riley is the second person to go to university among Woolloomooloo’s young generation. He is studying literature at Macquarie University.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_2a2cf253d8054f85aad6b527ce621dc4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_151,q_90/6b5feb_2a2cf253d8054f85aad6b527ce621dc4~mv2.jpg)
![Oscar and Tyriesha, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
I asked Tyriesha and Oscar, how do you guys cuddle? Like this! They responded excitingly.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_2fa53088c1ca46c7aea45d11fcd07d93~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_236,q_90/6b5feb_2fa53088c1ca46c7aea45d11fcd07d93~mv2.jpg)
![Love, 2019, digital image [print on demand]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_021f11955429460c9ec4565f5b07de58~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_236,q_90/6b5feb_021f11955429460c9ec4565f5b07de58~mv2.jpg)



![Michelle, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
Michelle lives with her young son, Thomas who has Down’s Syndrome. Michelle told me if she didn’t say hi to me on the street it doesn’t mean she is rude or anything. She is going blind.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_5dc83f26cfaa49dfb98596bdd31b3082~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_220,q_90/6b5feb_5dc83f26cfaa49dfb98596bdd31b3082~mv2.jpg)

![Ayesha, 2020, digital image [print on demand]
Ayesha in costume](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_1dddea62466a40e4a04af1c55e461bfe~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_189,h_240,q_90/6b5feb_1dddea62466a40e4a04af1c55e461bfe~mv2.png)



![Jann, 2019, digital image [print on demand]
Jann, who emphasised several times, that she is not like other people in public housing. She described her apartment as her “little palace”. She was the only one who dressed up for the photograph.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6b5feb_2662cf8563d04c988587a49a714a2d4c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_189,h_154,q_90/6b5feb_2662cf8563d04c988587a49a714a2d4c~mv2.jpg)
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