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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Writing on the Wall, 2019

Dr Christian Thompson AO

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020 Finalist

Writing on the Wall, 2019

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.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020
(More information, View all 47 photos)

Mr M Walarmerpui
Martin Manca
Am I living in Hell?
Letting go

Related information

The mahi-mahi, 2019 Rob Palmer
The mahi-mahi, 2019 Rob Palmer
The mahi-mahi, 2019 Rob Palmer
The mahi-mahi, 2019 Rob Palmer

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020

Previous exhibition, 2020

The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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