Our Hearts Are Breaking - Invasion, Conflict and Resilience

This is one of the first paintings Les did after his release from jail. The issue of his identity was at the forefront of his mind as he struggled to free himself from the impact of long years of institutionalisation that began with his being taken from his mother at the age of two. Les was an early advocate of the distress caused to children by being taken from their families and bought up in state institutions.

This painting was about the two sides of his life, the one shaped by institutional living and the one that could have been. On his release he saw the possibility of being free from his past. He said, “A lot of us are confused about where we want to be - this just highlights the choice of where we can be if we choose one or the other."

LES GRIGGS Gunditjmara