Born 1941, Nabiac NSW. Lives in Redfern, Sydney. Aboriginal Nation: Worimi - Father Biripi - Mother Gordon Syron was number 11 of 16 children and was brought up on a dairy farm at Minimbah on the mid-North Coast of NSW. Gordon's Grandfather on his paternal side was an Irish convict, Patrick Daniel Syron who married a Worimi Aboriginal woman from a mission. Gordon's Grandfather, McKinnon on his maternal side, was Scottish and he married a Biripi Aboriginal woman from a mission. Gordon Syron was a champion runner and later was an amateur boxer, winning the ‘Golden Gloves’ Award, two or three times. Syron's first official boxing fight was at the age of 9, at the old wooden Port Macquarie Stadium where his Father was his trainer, in his corner. An early memory was of sitting proudly next to his Grandma in the front row … and being told later (by his city cousin, Brian Syron) that that was the ‘black section’ of the theatre where all Aboriginals had to sit. Syron was representing Australia in the Australasian Championships when he was hospitalised and his boxing career ended. He had a host of jobs as an electrical tradesman for the Government Railways and later as a linesman for Telecom. From 1972 to 1982 Gordon Syron served a life sentence for killing a white man over his family's land. The first six years was spent in Maximum Security. In 1972 Syron taught himself to paint and took tips from forgers. In 1978 while still in prison, Syron had his first solo exhibition at Murawina, on The Block in Eveleigh St, Redfern. This exhibition, which was organised by Mrs Bostock, Mrs Ingram and Mrs Merritt, was a success and all that was for sale was sold. Syron drove trucks and taxi cabs after prison. He then co-founded with Bobby Merritt, the “Eora Visual and Performing Arts College” in Redfern and was the first Visual Arts teacher there. In 1988 Syron entered the Archibald Prize with his now historic portrait of David Gulpilil. It was not chosen as one of the 40 to hang and was returned to him unseen by the public. He was devastated, returned to the country to live and did not paint for some years. In 1998 Syron entered the Archibald again with a large painting of Mum Shirl - Shirley Smith, The Black Saint of Redfern. Again it was not hung. Six months later Mum Shirl died and the priests hung her portrait, with pride, at her funeral at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. In the early 1990s Syron's renewed interest and involvement in the politics and history of Aboriginal Self-determination led him to paint a major series on the theme of Aboriginal Deaths in Custody - and later, he became the President of the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Committee, Sydney, NSW. It was in the 1990s when Dr Vivien Johnson of the College of Fine Arts, UNSW began to gather material to write a book on Gordon's artworks. In 1998 Syron had a Retrospective of his paintings at the Australian Museum, curated by Sheryl Connors and officially opened by Dr Vivien Johnson. In 1998 Syron joined the Humanist Society and became their Artist-in-Residence in Sydney. In the year 2000 he had a solo exhibition at the Humanist International Forum at the Law School of the University of Technology, Sydney. He is still a member and publishes papers in the Humanist Newsletter. 1998 - 2005 Syron had his own ‘Blackfella’s Dreaming’ Aboriginal Art Gallery at Darlinghurst, Sydney. 2003 - 2006 Syron also established a ‘Blackfella’s Dreaming’ Aboriginal Museum at Bangalow, NSW. 2004 - 2008 Syron has an Aboriginal Museum/Keeping Place in Sydney (currently not open to public). Syron’s most well-known work is ‘Judgement By His Peers’(1978) which he painted while in gaol. It is a courtroom scene where the judge and jury are all Black and the lone defendant in the dock is a white man. This painting has come to represent the way that many Aboriginals feel, as the story is turned around and satirically and ironically the roles are reversed. Instantly this painting conveys in a universal way, that justice for the Aboriginal person has a distorted history. This painting confronts history. Syron paintings have been and still are displayed in offices of the Aboriginal Legal Services, the Aboriginal Medical Services, Dept of Aboriginal Affairs and the now-closed ATSIC offices throughout Australia. Syron paintings have hung at the Aboriginal Arts Board; the Dept of Aboriginal Programs, University of Adelaide; Flinders University; the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption; and at the National Trust Exhibition: “ A Changing Relationship: Aboriginal Themes in Aboriginal Art”. 2005: Syron had a Retrospective of paintings at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Leichhardt, Sydney 2006: Syron was the Artist-in-Residence at the College of Fine Arts, Paddington, Sydney. 1998 – 2007: When people walked into the foyer of the Museum of Sydney they would have seen, in prominence of place, a Syron painting entitled ‘Invasion Day’. 2008: People attending the Bejing Olympics in China will see in the Australian Pavilion, two large Syron paintings entitled “Terror Nullius” and “Invasion Day II”. Gordon Syron lives with his wife Elaine in Redfern, Sydney with his historical collection - and dreams and works towards a permanent Keeping Place in Sydney, for his people. | 
