The National Portrait Gallery has announced the 48 finalists of the National Photography Portrait Prize (NPPP).
Holly and Pebbles, 2018, by Chris Riordan. "They say ‘never work with kids or animals’ ... but then you miss out on the best stuff! This is my daughter Holly and her rabbit ‘Pebbles’."
Now in its 13th year, the NPPP offers over$50,000 in prize money, spread across the Winner, Highly Commended, the Art Handlers Award and People’s Choice Award.
According to the Gallery, the works selected for the exhibition reflect 'the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers, and the unique nature of their subjects.'
Lenny, 2019, by Karen Waller. "Lenny Willis was born in the Tarcoola hospital in 1956. His mother, Gracie, a Yankunytjatjarra woman, married his father, Tommy, the son of Irish immigrants. With his ten siblings, Lenny lived on Bon Bon Station until the late 1960s. Today, Lenny lives in Kingoonya and works on Wilgena Station as a contract musterer. In this harsh outback environment in the north of South Australia, I discover in him a warmth and generosity of spirit."
NPG Director Karen Quinlan said, “The Photographic Portrait Prize (the NPPP) is one of our most popular exhibitions, offering equal billing for amateur and professional photographers and an incredible opportunity for entrants to not only win prizes including the latest photographic equipment from Canon, but to have their work shown in this great national cultural institution."
The selected portraits will be on display from 6 March until 10 May 2020, with the winner announced at the launch of the exhibition on 13 March.
The 48 finalists for 2020 are:
Andrew Baker Benny Capp Ben Mcnamara Ben Searcy Brenda L Croft Cameron Neville Charles Tambiah Chris Budgeon Chris Riordan Christophe Canato Dave Laslett Christian Thompson Elizabeth Looker Elize Strydom Fiona Wolf-Symeonides Graham Monro Greg Sheehan Hugh Stewart James Brickwood Jason McNamara Karen Waller Kelly Champion Klarissa Dempsey
Lauren Horwood Lori Cicchini Maite Robin Maree Yoelu Marg Briese Marieka Jacobs Martin Philbey Michael Murchie Mike Bowers Natalie Finney Nic Duncan Rene Kulitja & Rhett Hammerton Rob Palmer Russell Shakespeare Sam Biddle & Mohammad D. Sanjeev Singh Sarah Rhodes Sean Paris Shea Kirk Steven Lloyd Suzanne O'Connell Tim Hillier Vivienne Noble
You can see a selection of the finalists above and below.
Wonder, 2019, by Klarissa Dempsey. "This portrait is of my daughter Tayla. High-spirited, mischievous, intelligent, curious: these are some of the words that come to mind while thinking of her. Tayla always asks questions and needs to know the ‘why’; I love that about her. I love that she is one of the kindest souls you will ever meet, with the most caring heart. This moment was captured on Country homelands, where Tayla spends her time playing endlessly with her brothers and sister and cousins, riding bikes, walking to the creeks, playing with the dogs and being carefree."The Saviour, 2019, by Kelly Champion. Paediatrician Susan Beal’s groundbreaking research into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (sids) revolutionised paediatric care, with her recommendation – that babies should be placed on their backs to sleep – resulting in a staggering 85% reduction in sids cases between 1989 and 2007. To arrive at her recommendations, Beal spent countless hours interviewing over 500 families who had lost their babies. The blank pages behind her represent these lost lives.Eileen Kramer is a Dancer, 2019, by Hugh Stewart. Eileen Kramer is a dancer. She moved back to Australia from New York when she was 98 because she wanted to hear a kookaburra. She is 105 this year.Farmer, Fisher, Scholar and Scribe, 2019, by Andrew Baker. "Bruce Pascoe, 72, fisherman, farmer, student and teacher. They are occupations with attributes that have no doubt contributed to his talent as a writer and proponent of Aboriginal history. He sits still and calm, but sees my every move."Writing on the Wall, 2019, by Dr Christian Thompson AO. "I work as an artist, academic and virtual reality filmmaker, connecting my own experiences to wider social, cultural and political contexts. As a Bidjara person of the central Queensland desert, I have often drawn a vivid connection to the environment throughout my twenty-year practice. This self-portrait references the collective anxiety and uncertainty of the climate threat that defines our times. The title is a well-known colloquialism for a situation both impending and unavoidable. Cascading wattle blossoms act as a ticking clock. Utilising my signature native botanical elements, I disappear into the constellation of flowers – beautiful, regenerative, and ephemeral."The Mahi-Mahi, 2019, by Rob Palmer. Josh Niland, head chef and owner of Saint Peter restaurant, is reinventing what can be done with fish, and – most importantly – with every part of the fish, in a huge effort to drastically reduce wastage. His trailblazing work has received enormous praise from the likes of Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson.Pulangkita pitjangu (When the blanket came), 2019, by Rene Kulitja and Rhett Hammerton. Our culture has been passed down endlessly through the ages, by our grandfathers and grandmothers. Our families – many generations – left this behind for us: law, places, land and language, to be inherited by all those that come after them. And when we are gone, they will be for our children after us to hold and look after. This blanket came and covered over our language. But let us remember – we are not English. We are Pitjantjatjara!"
