A portrait of Indigenous rapper Baker Boy by Matt Adnate has won the $3,000 packing room prize in the annual Archibald prize.
The judges hailed the Victorian artist’s portrait for its accuracy and ability to capture “its kind and kindred spirits and a strong Indigenous voice through music”.
Adnate said that, having grown up as a graffiti artist, seeing his work hung in the Art Gallery of NSW went well beyond his teenage imaginings.
“It’s something I would never ever dream of, having a painting – and let alone winning – a prize like this, so it really means a lot,” he said.
Speaking via video link, Baker Boy – real name Danzal Baker – said Adnate had painted his portrait many times over the past seven years, including the artwork for his debut album, Gela, which was released in 2021.
“It’s always an honour to be painted by such an incredible artist who’s able to capture different versions of me and this latest artwork is no different,” he said.
“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.”
Adnate won out of 57 finalists, with almost half the artists being hung in the Archibald for the first time. The 2024 winner will be announced on 7 June.
Well over half the subjects in the portraiture prize this year are people working in the arts and media.
Now in its 33rd year, the packing room prize is judged by a three-member panel drawn from the 40 AGNSW employees charged with receiving and handling this year’s Archibald entries, numbering 1,005.
This year’s judges were Timothy Dale, Monica Rudhar and Alexis Wildman.
On Thursday, the finalists were revealed across all three prizes – the $100,000 Archibald for portraiture, the $50,000 Wynne for landscape and sculpture, and the $40,000 Sulman for genre and mural painting.
In the Wynne prize, 2024 marks the first year First Nations artists have outnumbered non-Indigenous artists.
All three exhibitions will go on public display at the AGNSW from 8 June.
The 138 finalists across all three prizes will be exhibited at the AGNSW from 8 June to 8 September, before going on tour to selected regional areas in NSW and the Northern Territory.
