Protest, pain and family the themes as Archibald Prize entries arrive

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Artist Robyn Ross braved bedewed upwind to transportation her bubble-wrapped, two-metre squared coating from her suburban Sydney location to the Art Gallery of NSW to taxable it for this year’s Archibald Prize.

“I decided to bash nationalist transport connected my golden senior’s Opal paper which outgo maine $2.50 to get present ... it is simply a hellhole of a batch cheaper than a courier,” the three-time Archibald entrant said.

“We got truthful galore radical laughing, asking questions, wishing america luck... our autobus operator adjacent turned astir and dropped america disconnected consecutive successful beforehand of the Art Gallery of NSW due to the fact that helium didn’t privation america walking successful the rain,” said Ross, who was met astatine Circular Quay by her subject, Sarah Jane Adams, for the last agelong of the journey.

Artist Robyn Ross (Right) with sitter Sarah Jane Adams and her Archibald entry.

Adams, an antique jewellery dealer, decorator and exemplary who started the hashtag #mywrinklesaremystripes, was truthful flooded erstwhile she saw her representation for the archetypal clip successful the Art Gallery loading dock she burst into tears.

“I’m truthful affectional – I emotion it. She’s captured everything: my jewellery, wrinkles, and veiny aged hands. It’s me, and it’s the truth,” said Adams.

Adams is besides a prima of Ageless which airs connected Nine (the proprietor of this masthead), a TV amusement that aims to redefine ageing. She hopes that she and Ross tin beryllium you’re ne'er excessively aged to prosecute your passion.

Artist Susan Gowda with her Archibald entry, and her girl Lakshmi.

Overcoming adversity is simply a beardown taxable of the 2024 variation of the Archibald Prize, Australia’s oldest and best-loved representation award. As the entries mounted up successful the loading dock of the Art Gallery of NSW up of Friday’s deadline, you could archer a batch astir caller events successful Australia by the faces painted.

As good arsenic the accustomed sports and TV prima subjects, determination is simply a Palestinian-Australian activistic wearing a keffiyeh and galore intelligence wellness advocates. Trauma is beneath the brushstrokes of galore of the portraits.

Susan Gowda from Schofields successful Sydney’s northwest created On the Edge, a mixed media assemblage of her girl Lakshmi erstwhile she was successful 1 of the darkest moments of her life.

“I was truthful depressed I astir didn’t privation to beryllium present immoderate more,” Lakshmi said. “I came up with this thought to make a podcast to speech to different radical who had been done acheronian times.”

Archibald representation of Assala Sayara by Amanda King.

Using offcuts of cloth from their mother/daughter-run manner business, her parent created a elephantine colourful assemblage.

“It’s astir transformation,” Gowda said. “How she’s moved done a batch of symptom and is going into a caller facet of life. She’s coming retired of a acheronian spot into the light.”

Lane Cove creator Simone Piccioni, who has been a finalist successful the Doug Moran Prize, chose 2014 Lindt Cafe siege subsister Selina Winpe arsenic her subject, arsenic a beacon of anticipation successful airy of caller traumatic events successful Sydney.

Marrickville-based creator and 1999 finalist Amanda King painted young Palestinian-Australian teacher Assala Sayara, who has been MC astatine galore of the play rallies successful Sydney astir the concern successful Gaza. Using cutouts from aged manner magazines, she created a elephantine collage of the teacher wearing a keffiyeh headscarf.

“I felt compelled to make the representation of Assala to correspond the resilience and absorption of the Palestinian radical contempt the large likelihood the civilian colonisation successful Gaza are facing,” Ross said.

Lennox Head creator and 2020 Packing Room Prize victor Angus McDonald has painted Indigenous world Marcia Langton, and is simply a taxable himself. His winning representation of Behrouz Boochani is soon to beryllium donated to the Art Gallery, and helium was a finalist successful 2019 with a representation of lawyer Mariam Veiszadeh, painted successful the benignant of Vermeer.

The Archibald Prize entries adjacent Friday astatine 4pm. The Packing Room Prize and finalists volition beryllium announced May 30.