2023 Brisbane Portrait Prize

While in Brisbane on the weekend, I visited the Powerhouse to see the exhibition of finalists in the 2023 Brisbane Portrait Prize. 

This year's exhibition included 70 finalists in the Main Competition and 14 Next Gen entries. Any artist with a connection to Brisbane is eligible to enter. The sitter must also have a connection with Brisbane. In 2023, prizes totalled $90,000.

Entries included both conventional painting and digitally produced work - the Brisbane Portrait Prize website has all the details. And there's a full gallery of finalists online too. I loved the documentation posted with each portrait, which made my viewing a richer experience. Here's an example: the label that accompanies the portrait above - "Brothers", a digital artwork by Marco Eychenne. All of this information is also available online for each of the finalists,

I don't pretend to have any expertise in judging art. But I was blown away by the quality and variety in this exhibition. The friends I was with considered this selection as exciting as the recent show they'd visited celebrating 100 years of the Archibald Prize. I suspect this has something to do with vitality - there were quite a few works by young artists here, as well as many that had also been Archibald finalists themselves.

Anyone wanting to see the exhibition will have to be quick, as tomorrow's the last day (29 October).