Photographers who document their lives have always aspired to tell stories about other people. For the past 15 years, the artist Raphaela Rosella and the women close to her have created their own intricate, visually compelling narratives despite numerous interventions from police and the justice system.

Rosella is a documentary from Italy and Australia. Artist who is committed to long-term engaging socially collaborative projects with the help of participants of Nimbin, Casino, Lismore, and Moree in the region of New South Wales.

Being aware that images could create stereotypes and confuse viewers, She decided at an early point in her career that those who she photographed must be given the ability to control their image for as long as they want. This requires active participation in the creation of photographs and an entire body of work and constantly seeking permission when sharing the work with an audience.

You’ll know it when You Experience It, located in the Brisbane Institute of Modern Art, has changed through these relationships.

Rosella, along with her collaborators, have sought to take back and challenge the stories crafted by the state’s documents, instead relating stories about the affection they have for their family members and the struggles they’ve encountered as a family and separated due to the geography of prison confinement.

Welcomed into a home

Rosella has a close relationship with the women she collaborates with, and she knows that they are often disregarded and denied the freedoms they deserve.

Prisoners created a portion of the audio-visual archives as a response to an unjust system of justice that afflicted women at an early age. Women see their collective activities as a “site of resistance” where they can free themselves from the processes and labels that are imposed by bureaucratic authorities.

Instead of giving sole storytelling authority to one individual or organization, Women play the lead in bringing across their personal stories and experiences.

Raphaela Rosella with Dayannah Baker Barlow Kathleen Duncan, Gillianne Laurie, Tammara Macrokanis, Amelia Rosella, Nunjul Townsend, Laurinda Whitton Tricia Whitton, and her family You’ll Feel It When You Feel It 2011, 2023. View of the installation, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane 2023. Photo: Louis Lim.

The show is like being welcomed into an individual’s home. There are drapes of fabric with handwritten notes and family photos, as well as the soothing voice of those around.

This warm familiarity contrasts the dehumanizing language used in the official documents displayed: “At no time are photographs to be taken of the inmate.”

Each exhibit includes a brief text that reads as the first lines of an individual letter. We’re given intimate moments and heartfelt letters. There aren’t any image names or dates on the majority of the photos or videos, as if in contradiction to the legal classification papers that are interspersed throughout.

The first picture we see when we arrive is a portrait created by the Kamilaroi/Biripi artist Nunjul Townsend. The woman in the picture greets us with an intense emotion that is a reflection of the strong connection she shares with her artist and friend, Rosella.

Raphaela Rosella and Nunjul Townsend, Nunjul, 2012. Courtesy of the artists.

In addition, an adorable photo that shows Nunjul and her son embracing is placed within an uninspiring grid of blank ” statement of truth” court papers.

The contrast is enthralling. The bond between father and son cannot simply be written words or even captured with cameras. The connection between the pair is felt.

Raphaela Rosella with Dayannah Baker Barlow Kathleen Duncan, Gillianne Laurie, Tammara Macrokanis, Amelia Rosella, Nunjul Townsend, Laurinda Whitton Tricia Whitton, and her family You’ll know it when You Feel It 2011, 2023. View of the installation, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, 2023. Photo: Louis Lim.

Crucial questions

Every participant is given a unique personal space in the gallery, which includes Rosella along with her identical twin. Rosella does not shy away from sharing her personal story with viewers via self-portraits, text on the wall, or even analyzing her process (“the camera helped you to get the addiction”).