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The annual launch of Australia’s most prestigious art prize kicked off with a portrait of a local rapper scooping the staff favourite.
Matt Adnate’s dramatic portrait of Baker Boy – Yolngu rapper Danzal Baker – won the $3,000 Packing Room prize as the finalists in the Archibald Awards were publicly revealed on Thursday.
Accepting the honor at the Art Gallery of NSWthe former graffiti artist said he could never have dreamed of winning such a coveted prize after spending the first 10 years of his career “just painting letters”.
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Behind it hung the paintings of 57 finalists for the annual $100,000 Archibald Prize, the nation’s top portrait award.
“Growing up as a graffiti artist, I never dreamed of being able to even name one of my artworks in a place like the Art Gallery of NSW,” Adnat told AAP.
The rap music fan added that he was listening to Baker Boy while painting.
“When you paint, you listen to eight to ten hours of music a day,” Adnat said.
“He’s an inspirational figure, not only is he an amazing musician, he’s won Young Australian of the Year and he’s only 20 years old.”
The finalists included the largest number of local artists among a cohort selected from more than 1,000 entries.
Baker Boy said he was honored to be included in the collection after his portrait took out the Packers Award, which has been judged for more than 30 years by gallery staff who receive, unpack and hang the records.
“Great Strength and Vulnerability”
“Matt’s work tells stories, he captures great strength and vulnerability, but most importantly his work amplifies the voice of those he paints, which is very powerful,” he said.
A total of 138 finalists for the Archibald, Wynn and Sulman Awards were announced Thursday.
The Wynne Award recognizes landscape paintings depicting Australian landscapes or figure sculptures by local artists, while the Sulman Award is for subject painting, genre painting or murals.
The winners of the three main prizes will be announced on June 7, and the exhibition will run from June 8 to September 8.
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