Protest, pain and family the themes as Archibald Prize entries arrive
By Helen Pitt
Artist Robyn Ross braved wet weather to carry her bubble-wrapped, two-metre squared painting from her suburban Sydney home to the Art Gallery of NSW to submit it for this year’s Archibald Prize.
“I decided to do public transport on my gold senior’s Opal card which cost me $2.50 to get here ... it is a hell of a lot cheaper than a courier,” the three-time Archibald entrant said.
“We got so many people laughing, asking questions, wishing us luck... our bus driver even turned around and dropped us off straight in front of the Art Gallery of NSW because he didn’t want us walking in the rain,” said Ross, who was met at Circular Quay by her subject, Sarah Jane Adams, for the final stretch of the journey.
Artist Robyn Ross (right) with sitter Sarah Jane Adams and her Archibald entry.Credit: Lousie Kennerley
Adams, an antique jewellery dealer, designer and model who started the hashtag #mywrinklesaremystripes, was so overcome when she saw her portrait for the first time in the Art Gallery loading dock she burst into tears.
“I’m so emotional – I love it. She’s captured everything: my jewellery, wrinkles, and veiny old hands. It’s me, and it’s the truth,” said Adams.
Adams is also a star of Ageless which airs on Nine (the owner of this masthead), a TV show that aims to redefine ageing. She hopes that she and Ross can prove you’re never too old to pursue your passion.
Overcoming adversity is a strong theme of the 2024 edition of the Archibald Prize, Australia’s oldest and best-loved portrait award. As the entries mounted up in the loading dock of the Art Gallery of NSW ahead of Friday’s deadline, you could tell a lot about recent events in Australia by the faces painted.
As well as the usual sports and TV star subjects, there is a Palestinian-Australian activist wearing a keffiyeh and numerous mental health advocates. Trauma is beneath the brushstrokes of many of the portraits.
Artist Susan Gowda with her Archibald entry, and her daughter Lakshmi.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Susan Gowda from Schofields in Sydney’s northwest created On the Edge, a mixed media assemblage of her daughter Lakshmi when she was in one of the darkest moments of her life.
“I was so depressed I almost didn’t want to be here any more,” Lakshmi said. “I came up with this idea to create a podcast to talk to other people who had been through dark times.”
Using offcuts of fabric from their mother/daughter-run fashion business, her mother created a giant colourful assemblage.
“It’s about transformation,” Gowda said. “How she’s moved through a lot of pain and is going into a new facet of life. She’s coming out of a dark place into the light.”
Sydney artist Hye In Kim, chose 2014 Lindt Cafe siege survivor Selina Winpe as her subject, as a beacon of hope in light of recent traumatic events in Sydney.
Archibald portrait of Assala Sayara by Amanda King.Credit: Amanda King
Marrickville-based artist and 1999 finalist Amanda King painted young Palestinian-Australian teacher Assala Sayara, who has been MC at many of the weekend rallies in Sydney about the situation in Gaza. Using cutouts from old fashion magazines, she created a giant collage of the teacher wearing a keffiyeh headscarf.
“I felt compelled to create the portrait of Assala to represent the resilience and resistance of the Palestinian people despite the great odds the civilian population in Gaza are facing,” King said.
Lennox Head artist and 2020 people’s choice winner Angus McDonald has painted Indigenous academic Marcia Langton, and is a subject himself. His portrait of Behrouz Boochani is soon to be donated to the Art Gallery, and he was a finalist in 2019 with a portrait of lawyer Mariam Veiszadeh, painted in the style of Vermeer.
The Archibald Prize entries close Friday at 4pm. The Packing Room Prize and finalists will be announced May 30.