Indigenous artist paints POWERFUL portrait of Cassius

When Brandi Salmon first heard the news of the alleged murder of Cassius Turvey in Western Australia, her heart sank.

The attack hit home for the Tasmania-based Wiradjuri and Tongan artist, who likes to call herself ‘Tongariginal’. Her first heartbreaking thought was the alleged brutal attack could have happened to one of her relatives.

The 15-year-old Noongar Yamatji boy was allegedly bashed with a metal pole while walking home from school in Middle Swan with friends on October 13.

Cassius’ family believe he and his friends were targeted by mistake in an act of vigilantism over a damaged car and say the teens were racially abused in the moments beforehand.

The horror attack left Cassius with severe head injuries that resulted in seizures, two strokes, and his ultimate death 10 days later, on October 23.

“As a proud Wiradjuri woman, it was extremely difficult for me to comprehend that an Aboriginal child could be [allegedly] murdered, in broad daylight, walking home from school,” Salmon told PerthNow.

As an artist, she decided to pour her feelings into a portrait painting of Cassius, which has since been shared hundreds of times on social media as people call for justice for the teenager, with many labelling the attack “racially motivated”.

“I decided to paint Cassius as I was deeply affected by his [alleged] murder,” she said.

“Cassius looked just like my nephew, they are similar in age, and it really hit home for me; this could’ve happened to my nephew.”

Salmon — well-known for her striking Indigenous female portraits in The Aunty Collection — said she also painted Cassius because she wanted people to see him for the “innocent child with hopes and dreams” that he was and “not a faceless statistic”.

“I wanted to raise awareness of the racism that Aboriginal people are subjected to in this country,” she said.

“I wanted to celebrate Cassius Turvey’s life.”

Painting brings a smile to Mechelle Turvey’s face

While Salmon does not know the Turvey family personally, she painted the portrait and shared it on social media with their permission.

“I did hear from one of Cassius’ family members that his mother, Mechelle, ‘loves’ the painting, and it brought a smile to her face,” she said, adding that hearing this “was amazing”.

Salmon said she would be sending the painting to Mechelle, and she “hopes in some small way it can help her heal”.

The painting was shared on Salmon’s Instagram page on October 30 with the caption: “His name was Cassius Turvey, he was 15, his fave colour was blue, and he ran a lawn mowing business with his friends.

“Fly high in the Dreamtime, Cassius.”

The striking portrait was created using mixed media on stretched linen canvas.

“I laid down a base of acrylic paints and painted Cassius with oil paints,” explained Salmon.

Since sharing her painting, Salmon, who grew up in Victoria and gained her Bachelor of Creative Arts at Deakin University in 2020, said she had been “incredibly moved” by the response.

Initially a self-taught painter, her art subject matter and style are also inspired by previous work as a Koori Family Violence support worker, supporting Aboriginal women navigating the legal system.

“I was inspired by their stories and strength,” she said.