TWO talented Ipswich artists have been announced as finalists of this year’s Brisbane Portrait Prize.
With 64 finalists selected from 575 entries, Ipswich locals Christopher R. Inwood and Rachael Sarra were among them with their two self-portraits.
Inwood’s work titled Speaks For Itself “portrays emotive characteristics that are sometimes confronting and sometimes confusing”.
“My individual artworks are pieces that contribute to larger observations, yet the distinctive compositions, refined palette and emotive brushwork also reveal individual and collective experiences through each discrete painting,” he said.
Just Another Pawn is the entry earning Rachael Sarra a finalist spot in the competition.
In the digital artwork, Sarra depicts herself as “just another political pawn, sitting with her eyes covered by her hands and her identity hidden”.
It immediately conjures up a game of chess, with the artist transformed into a chess piece, a pawn, hovering over a chequered board.
The experience of black women having their identities taken away is a central focus, the artist said.
“Her identity doesn’t matter anymore as it’s thrown off to the side,” Sarra said.
Her vibrant creative practice embodies her experience as a proud mixed race First Nations woman from Goreng Goreng country.
Now in its sixth year, the competition’s finalists will be vying across nine categories for a combined total of $90,000 in prize money, including the highly coveted $50,000 Lord Mayor’s Prize.
Brisbane Portrait Prize Chair Anna Reynolds said she was thrilled with the quality of artworks submitted this year.
“We have seen some wonderful works entered –. I’m constantly amazed at the artistic talent we have here in Brisbane,” Ms Reynolds said.
“The judges had a very tough task. The Finalists Exhibition will be at State Library of Queensland in the large slq Gallery, and the works will look sensational.”
State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald congratulated the portrait prize finalists for showcasing the extraordinary diversity of the human spirit.
The exhibition will open to the public on Saturday, August 3, and run through to Sunday, November 10.
The public will have the chance to choose their People’s Choice winner by the end of October.
