Latest news with #CodeBlack
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Portrait of hidden faces declared a hands-down winner
A shot of three girls hiding their faces with hand gestures has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize. It's the second win for artist Hoda Afshar, who couldn't hold back tears when she discovered she had won on the morning of her birthday, 10 years since first winning the prestigious award in 2015. Afshar submitted the photo hoping to draw attention to Indigenous children who have been incarcerated in youth detention across Australia. "The children I've worked with are among the most vulnerable in this country. They experience disadvantage, discrimination and incarceration from an early age," said Afshar. "They need love, care, and community, but instead, they're criminalised and punished." The artwork is part of a series titled Code Black/Riot, named for the code used in youth detention to communicate that a riot is taking place. It was taken with a group of First Nations children, who were invited to choose a way of concealing their identities while making a personal statement. Their gestures represented an act of resistance, both to the camera and to authority, said Afshar. First Nations children aged 10 to 17 make up 6.6 per cent of their age group, but are 27 times more likely than non-indigenous children to be imprisoned, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Many young people in the far north Queensland community where the image was taken prefer not to show their faces in photos, so they can't be identified by the youth justice system, Afshar explained. "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," the judges said. The winner receives $30,000 as well as photography equipment worth $20,000. Four-time finalist George Fetting has won the $3000 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili – Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1 2024. The walls of the shop are covered in patterns, postcards and drawings, while Antonio Intili, who passed away in July 2025, stands with scissors in hand. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with her artwork titled Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Photographs from 48 finalists will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from Saturday until October 12. A shot of three girls hiding their faces with hand gestures has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize. It's the second win for artist Hoda Afshar, who couldn't hold back tears when she discovered she had won on the morning of her birthday, 10 years since first winning the prestigious award in 2015. Afshar submitted the photo hoping to draw attention to Indigenous children who have been incarcerated in youth detention across Australia. "The children I've worked with are among the most vulnerable in this country. They experience disadvantage, discrimination and incarceration from an early age," said Afshar. "They need love, care, and community, but instead, they're criminalised and punished." The artwork is part of a series titled Code Black/Riot, named for the code used in youth detention to communicate that a riot is taking place. It was taken with a group of First Nations children, who were invited to choose a way of concealing their identities while making a personal statement. Their gestures represented an act of resistance, both to the camera and to authority, said Afshar. First Nations children aged 10 to 17 make up 6.6 per cent of their age group, but are 27 times more likely than non-indigenous children to be imprisoned, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Many young people in the far north Queensland community where the image was taken prefer not to show their faces in photos, so they can't be identified by the youth justice system, Afshar explained. "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," the judges said. The winner receives $30,000 as well as photography equipment worth $20,000. Four-time finalist George Fetting has won the $3000 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili – Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1 2024. The walls of the shop are covered in patterns, postcards and drawings, while Antonio Intili, who passed away in July 2025, stands with scissors in hand. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with her artwork titled Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Photographs from 48 finalists will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from Saturday until October 12. A shot of three girls hiding their faces with hand gestures has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize. It's the second win for artist Hoda Afshar, who couldn't hold back tears when she discovered she had won on the morning of her birthday, 10 years since first winning the prestigious award in 2015. Afshar submitted the photo hoping to draw attention to Indigenous children who have been incarcerated in youth detention across Australia. "The children I've worked with are among the most vulnerable in this country. They experience disadvantage, discrimination and incarceration from an early age," said Afshar. "They need love, care, and community, but instead, they're criminalised and punished." The artwork is part of a series titled Code Black/Riot, named for the code used in youth detention to communicate that a riot is taking place. It was taken with a group of First Nations children, who were invited to choose a way of concealing their identities while making a personal statement. Their gestures represented an act of resistance, both to the camera and to authority, said Afshar. First Nations children aged 10 to 17 make up 6.6 per cent of their age group, but are 27 times more likely than non-indigenous children to be imprisoned, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Many young people in the far north Queensland community where the image was taken prefer not to show their faces in photos, so they can't be identified by the youth justice system, Afshar explained. "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," the judges said. The winner receives $30,000 as well as photography equipment worth $20,000. Four-time finalist George Fetting has won the $3000 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili – Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1 2024. The walls of the shop are covered in patterns, postcards and drawings, while Antonio Intili, who passed away in July 2025, stands with scissors in hand. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with her artwork titled Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Photographs from 48 finalists will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from Saturday until October 12. A shot of three girls hiding their faces with hand gestures has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize. It's the second win for artist Hoda Afshar, who couldn't hold back tears when she discovered she had won on the morning of her birthday, 10 years since first winning the prestigious award in 2015. Afshar submitted the photo hoping to draw attention to Indigenous children who have been incarcerated in youth detention across Australia. "The children I've worked with are among the most vulnerable in this country. They experience disadvantage, discrimination and incarceration from an early age," said Afshar. "They need love, care, and community, but instead, they're criminalised and punished." The artwork is part of a series titled Code Black/Riot, named for the code used in youth detention to communicate that a riot is taking place. It was taken with a group of First Nations children, who were invited to choose a way of concealing their identities while making a personal statement. Their gestures represented an act of resistance, both to the camera and to authority, said Afshar. First Nations children aged 10 to 17 make up 6.6 per cent of their age group, but are 27 times more likely than non-indigenous children to be imprisoned, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Many young people in the far north Queensland community where the image was taken prefer not to show their faces in photos, so they can't be identified by the youth justice system, Afshar explained. "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," the judges said. The winner receives $30,000 as well as photography equipment worth $20,000. Four-time finalist George Fetting has won the $3000 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili – Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1 2024. The walls of the shop are covered in patterns, postcards and drawings, while Antonio Intili, who passed away in July 2025, stands with scissors in hand. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with her artwork titled Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Photographs from 48 finalists will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from Saturday until October 12.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
The winner of this prize couldn't hold back her tears
Hoda Afshar hadn't planned on entering her work into Australia's largest photographic portrait prize this year - especially as she'd already won once. But enter she did, hoping only that her work be selected as a finalist - knowing she would be among thousands of similar hopefuls. On hearing her work had won the National Photographic Portrait Prize for a second time, she couldn't hold back her tears. "I submitted this work, hoping it might be selected as one of the finalists, in order to draw public attention to the ongoing crisis facing Indigenous children in youth detention across Australia," she said. Untitled #01 (from the series Code Black/Riot) 2024, is part of a collaboration with a group of First Nations young people in Far North Queensland that questions a system that targets and imprisons them from the age of 10. The project, facilitated by the Cairns-based Youth Empowered Towards Independence and Change the Record in Sydney, invited participants to have their portraits taken, using a means of their own choosing to conceal their identities while making a personal statement. "Some of them chose flowers or bubbles. Others a flag, mask or face paint. The three girls here chose this gesture," Afshar said. "As a photographer, I am always seeking to disrupt such ways of seeing, and this is why I chose to submit this portrait. For me, these girls' gestures symbolise an act of resistance both against authority and towards the camera - a refusal to be, or to be seen, as passive." For 18 years, the National Photographic Portrait Prize has celebrated photographic portraiture in Australia. Open to established and emerging artists, the prize is an opportunity for artists to have their work shown in a national gallery, where it will be seen by thousands of people. The judges this year, Benjamin Law, National Portrait Gallery senior curator Serena Bentley, and Art Gallery of South Australia curator of contemporary art Leigh Robb, described it as a portrait of "immense power, which creates an urgent conversation between the viewer and subjects". "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," they said. "As part of a group that are often discussed and depicted but rarely given a voice, these figures observe us in turn, giving an assessment of the nation right now. While seemingly incidental, the relationship between the haphazard staging, blurred background and focus points in the foreground make for a bracing, brilliant photograph taken by an artist who truly knows her craft." Hoda Afshar is a Melbourne-based visual artist and documentary maker, currently working in Berlin. This is the second time she has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize, the first in 2015 with the work Portrait of Ali, 2014. She wins $30,000 cash courtesy of the gallery and $20,000 worth of equipment courtesy of Canon Australia. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Quiambao is an Australian-Filipino multidisciplinary artist based in Perth. Mother dreams on a stone is a glittering portrait of her mother that explores themes of renewal, identity and belonging. "Wrapped in a golden emergency blanket and resting on a tumbled stone, my mother represents strength and adaptability, finding hope through her migration story," the artist writes. "The golden blanket, a symbol of safety and care, contrasts with the grounding presence of the stone. Together, they reflect the tension between aspiration, humility, fragility and resilience." National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering said the 2025 finalist portraits, 48 in all, represented artists and sitters from all states and territories. "The exhibition foregrounds the artist's voice," she says. "In each of the finalist works, subjects are revealed from the artist's point of view. The works are an invitation into the intimate world of a subject/artist relationship and a reflection of the people who make up the communities in which we all live." Sydney-based artist George Fetting received the 2025 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili - Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1, 2024. This intimate portrait of Antonio Intili in his tailor shop captures him in a moment of reflection. Fetting is a four-time National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist, and receives a $3000 cash prize. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from August 16 to October 12. All finalist works can be viewed, with tickets to the exhibition available on the gallery's website at The final prize, the People's Choice Award, decided by members of the public, will be announced in October, with the winner receiving $10,000 cash. All finalists receive artist, copyright and licencing fees as well as freight costs and travel allowances. Hoda Afshar hadn't planned on entering her work into Australia's largest photographic portrait prize this year - especially as she'd already won once. But enter she did, hoping only that her work be selected as a finalist - knowing she would be among thousands of similar hopefuls. On hearing her work had won the National Photographic Portrait Prize for a second time, she couldn't hold back her tears. "I submitted this work, hoping it might be selected as one of the finalists, in order to draw public attention to the ongoing crisis facing Indigenous children in youth detention across Australia," she said. Untitled #01 (from the series Code Black/Riot) 2024, is part of a collaboration with a group of First Nations young people in Far North Queensland that questions a system that targets and imprisons them from the age of 10. The project, facilitated by the Cairns-based Youth Empowered Towards Independence and Change the Record in Sydney, invited participants to have their portraits taken, using a means of their own choosing to conceal their identities while making a personal statement. "Some of them chose flowers or bubbles. Others a flag, mask or face paint. The three girls here chose this gesture," Afshar said. "As a photographer, I am always seeking to disrupt such ways of seeing, and this is why I chose to submit this portrait. For me, these girls' gestures symbolise an act of resistance both against authority and towards the camera - a refusal to be, or to be seen, as passive." For 18 years, the National Photographic Portrait Prize has celebrated photographic portraiture in Australia. Open to established and emerging artists, the prize is an opportunity for artists to have their work shown in a national gallery, where it will be seen by thousands of people. The judges this year, Benjamin Law, National Portrait Gallery senior curator Serena Bentley, and Art Gallery of South Australia curator of contemporary art Leigh Robb, described it as a portrait of "immense power, which creates an urgent conversation between the viewer and subjects". "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," they said. "As part of a group that are often discussed and depicted but rarely given a voice, these figures observe us in turn, giving an assessment of the nation right now. While seemingly incidental, the relationship between the haphazard staging, blurred background and focus points in the foreground make for a bracing, brilliant photograph taken by an artist who truly knows her craft." Hoda Afshar is a Melbourne-based visual artist and documentary maker, currently working in Berlin. This is the second time she has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize, the first in 2015 with the work Portrait of Ali, 2014. She wins $30,000 cash courtesy of the gallery and $20,000 worth of equipment courtesy of Canon Australia. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Quiambao is an Australian-Filipino multidisciplinary artist based in Perth. Mother dreams on a stone is a glittering portrait of her mother that explores themes of renewal, identity and belonging. "Wrapped in a golden emergency blanket and resting on a tumbled stone, my mother represents strength and adaptability, finding hope through her migration story," the artist writes. "The golden blanket, a symbol of safety and care, contrasts with the grounding presence of the stone. Together, they reflect the tension between aspiration, humility, fragility and resilience." National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering said the 2025 finalist portraits, 48 in all, represented artists and sitters from all states and territories. "The exhibition foregrounds the artist's voice," she says. "In each of the finalist works, subjects are revealed from the artist's point of view. The works are an invitation into the intimate world of a subject/artist relationship and a reflection of the people who make up the communities in which we all live." Sydney-based artist George Fetting received the 2025 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili - Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1, 2024. This intimate portrait of Antonio Intili in his tailor shop captures him in a moment of reflection. Fetting is a four-time National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist, and receives a $3000 cash prize. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from August 16 to October 12. All finalist works can be viewed, with tickets to the exhibition available on the gallery's website at The final prize, the People's Choice Award, decided by members of the public, will be announced in October, with the winner receiving $10,000 cash. All finalists receive artist, copyright and licencing fees as well as freight costs and travel allowances. Hoda Afshar hadn't planned on entering her work into Australia's largest photographic portrait prize this year - especially as she'd already won once. But enter she did, hoping only that her work be selected as a finalist - knowing she would be among thousands of similar hopefuls. On hearing her work had won the National Photographic Portrait Prize for a second time, she couldn't hold back her tears. "I submitted this work, hoping it might be selected as one of the finalists, in order to draw public attention to the ongoing crisis facing Indigenous children in youth detention across Australia," she said. Untitled #01 (from the series Code Black/Riot) 2024, is part of a collaboration with a group of First Nations young people in Far North Queensland that questions a system that targets and imprisons them from the age of 10. The project, facilitated by the Cairns-based Youth Empowered Towards Independence and Change the Record in Sydney, invited participants to have their portraits taken, using a means of their own choosing to conceal their identities while making a personal statement. "Some of them chose flowers or bubbles. Others a flag, mask or face paint. The three girls here chose this gesture," Afshar said. "As a photographer, I am always seeking to disrupt such ways of seeing, and this is why I chose to submit this portrait. For me, these girls' gestures symbolise an act of resistance both against authority and towards the camera - a refusal to be, or to be seen, as passive." For 18 years, the National Photographic Portrait Prize has celebrated photographic portraiture in Australia. Open to established and emerging artists, the prize is an opportunity for artists to have their work shown in a national gallery, where it will be seen by thousands of people. The judges this year, Benjamin Law, National Portrait Gallery senior curator Serena Bentley, and Art Gallery of South Australia curator of contemporary art Leigh Robb, described it as a portrait of "immense power, which creates an urgent conversation between the viewer and subjects". "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," they said. "As part of a group that are often discussed and depicted but rarely given a voice, these figures observe us in turn, giving an assessment of the nation right now. While seemingly incidental, the relationship between the haphazard staging, blurred background and focus points in the foreground make for a bracing, brilliant photograph taken by an artist who truly knows her craft." Hoda Afshar is a Melbourne-based visual artist and documentary maker, currently working in Berlin. This is the second time she has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize, the first in 2015 with the work Portrait of Ali, 2014. She wins $30,000 cash courtesy of the gallery and $20,000 worth of equipment courtesy of Canon Australia. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Quiambao is an Australian-Filipino multidisciplinary artist based in Perth. Mother dreams on a stone is a glittering portrait of her mother that explores themes of renewal, identity and belonging. "Wrapped in a golden emergency blanket and resting on a tumbled stone, my mother represents strength and adaptability, finding hope through her migration story," the artist writes. "The golden blanket, a symbol of safety and care, contrasts with the grounding presence of the stone. Together, they reflect the tension between aspiration, humility, fragility and resilience." National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering said the 2025 finalist portraits, 48 in all, represented artists and sitters from all states and territories. "The exhibition foregrounds the artist's voice," she says. "In each of the finalist works, subjects are revealed from the artist's point of view. The works are an invitation into the intimate world of a subject/artist relationship and a reflection of the people who make up the communities in which we all live." Sydney-based artist George Fetting received the 2025 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili - Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1, 2024. This intimate portrait of Antonio Intili in his tailor shop captures him in a moment of reflection. Fetting is a four-time National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist, and receives a $3000 cash prize. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from August 16 to October 12. All finalist works can be viewed, with tickets to the exhibition available on the gallery's website at The final prize, the People's Choice Award, decided by members of the public, will be announced in October, with the winner receiving $10,000 cash. All finalists receive artist, copyright and licencing fees as well as freight costs and travel allowances. Hoda Afshar hadn't planned on entering her work into Australia's largest photographic portrait prize this year - especially as she'd already won once. But enter she did, hoping only that her work be selected as a finalist - knowing she would be among thousands of similar hopefuls. On hearing her work had won the National Photographic Portrait Prize for a second time, she couldn't hold back her tears. "I submitted this work, hoping it might be selected as one of the finalists, in order to draw public attention to the ongoing crisis facing Indigenous children in youth detention across Australia," she said. Untitled #01 (from the series Code Black/Riot) 2024, is part of a collaboration with a group of First Nations young people in Far North Queensland that questions a system that targets and imprisons them from the age of 10. The project, facilitated by the Cairns-based Youth Empowered Towards Independence and Change the Record in Sydney, invited participants to have their portraits taken, using a means of their own choosing to conceal their identities while making a personal statement. "Some of them chose flowers or bubbles. Others a flag, mask or face paint. The three girls here chose this gesture," Afshar said. "As a photographer, I am always seeking to disrupt such ways of seeing, and this is why I chose to submit this portrait. For me, these girls' gestures symbolise an act of resistance both against authority and towards the camera - a refusal to be, or to be seen, as passive." For 18 years, the National Photographic Portrait Prize has celebrated photographic portraiture in Australia. Open to established and emerging artists, the prize is an opportunity for artists to have their work shown in a national gallery, where it will be seen by thousands of people. The judges this year, Benjamin Law, National Portrait Gallery senior curator Serena Bentley, and Art Gallery of South Australia curator of contemporary art Leigh Robb, described it as a portrait of "immense power, which creates an urgent conversation between the viewer and subjects". "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," they said. "As part of a group that are often discussed and depicted but rarely given a voice, these figures observe us in turn, giving an assessment of the nation right now. While seemingly incidental, the relationship between the haphazard staging, blurred background and focus points in the foreground make for a bracing, brilliant photograph taken by an artist who truly knows her craft." Hoda Afshar is a Melbourne-based visual artist and documentary maker, currently working in Berlin. This is the second time she has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize, the first in 2015 with the work Portrait of Ali, 2014. She wins $30,000 cash courtesy of the gallery and $20,000 worth of equipment courtesy of Canon Australia. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Quiambao is an Australian-Filipino multidisciplinary artist based in Perth. Mother dreams on a stone is a glittering portrait of her mother that explores themes of renewal, identity and belonging. "Wrapped in a golden emergency blanket and resting on a tumbled stone, my mother represents strength and adaptability, finding hope through her migration story," the artist writes. "The golden blanket, a symbol of safety and care, contrasts with the grounding presence of the stone. Together, they reflect the tension between aspiration, humility, fragility and resilience." National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering said the 2025 finalist portraits, 48 in all, represented artists and sitters from all states and territories. "The exhibition foregrounds the artist's voice," she says. "In each of the finalist works, subjects are revealed from the artist's point of view. The works are an invitation into the intimate world of a subject/artist relationship and a reflection of the people who make up the communities in which we all live." Sydney-based artist George Fetting received the 2025 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili - Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1, 2024. This intimate portrait of Antonio Intili in his tailor shop captures him in a moment of reflection. Fetting is a four-time National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist, and receives a $3000 cash prize. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from August 16 to October 12. All finalist works can be viewed, with tickets to the exhibition available on the gallery's website at The final prize, the People's Choice Award, decided by members of the public, will be announced in October, with the winner receiving $10,000 cash. All finalists receive artist, copyright and licencing fees as well as freight costs and travel allowances.
West Australian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Portrait of hidden faces declared a hands-down winner
A shot of three girls hiding their faces with hand gestures has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize. It's the second win for artist Hoda Afshar, who couldn't hold back tears when she discovered she had won on the morning of her birthday, 10 years since first winning the prestigious award in 2015. Afshar submitted the photo hoping to draw attention to Indigenous children who have been incarcerated in youth detention across Australia. "The children I've worked with are among the most vulnerable in this country. They experience disadvantage, discrimination and incarceration from an early age," said Afshar. "They need love, care, and community, but instead, they're criminalised and punished." The artwork is part of a series titled Code Black/Riot, named for the code used in youth detention to communicate that a riot is taking place. It was taken with a group of First Nations children, who were invited to choose a way of concealing their identities while making a personal statement. Their gestures represented an act of resistance, both to the camera and to authority, said Afshar. First Nations children aged 10 to 17 make up 6.6 per cent of their age group, but are 27 times more likely than non-indigenous children to be imprisoned, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Many young people in the far north Queensland community where the image was taken prefer not to show their faces in photos, so they can't be identified by the youth justice system, Afshar explained. "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," the judges said. The winner receives $30,000 as well as photography equipment worth $20,000. Four-time finalist George Fetting has won the $3000 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili – Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1 2024. The walls of the shop are covered in patterns, postcards and drawings, while Antonio Intili, who passed away in July 2025, stands with scissors in hand. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with her artwork titled Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Photographs from 48 finalists will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from Saturday until October 12.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Portrait of hidden faces declared a hands-down winner
A shot of three girls hiding their faces with hand gestures has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize. It's the second win for artist Hoda Afshar, who couldn't hold back tears when she discovered she had won on the morning of her birthday, 10 years since first winning the prestigious award in 2015. Afshar submitted the photo hoping to draw attention to Indigenous children who have been incarcerated in youth detention across Australia. "The children I've worked with are among the most vulnerable in this country. They experience disadvantage, discrimination and incarceration from an early age," said Afshar. "They need love, care, and community, but instead, they're criminalised and punished." The artwork is part of a series titled Code Black/Riot, named for the code used in youth detention to communicate that a riot is taking place. It was taken with a group of First Nations children, who were invited to choose a way of concealing their identities while making a personal statement. Their gestures represented an act of resistance, both to the camera and to authority, said Afshar. First Nations children aged 10 to 17 make up 6.6 per cent of their age group, but are 27 times more likely than non-indigenous children to be imprisoned, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Many young people in the far north Queensland community where the image was taken prefer not to show their faces in photos, so they can't be identified by the youth justice system, Afshar explained. "By handing agency over to her subjects, Hoda Afshar has given these First Nations young people the rare opportunity to frame themselves on their own terms," the judges said. The winner receives $30,000 as well as photography equipment worth $20,000. Four-time finalist George Fetting has won the $3000 Art Handlers' Award for his portrait Antonio Intili – Sartoria (Tailor Shop) #1 2024. The walls of the shop are covered in patterns, postcards and drawings, while Antonio Intili, who passed away in July 2025, stands with scissors in hand. Sherry Quiambao is the inaugural winner of the First Time Finalist Award, with her artwork titled Mother dreams on a stone, 2024. Photographs from 48 finalists will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 will be on show from Saturday until October 12.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Essex-Windsor EMS sees drop in Codes Black as union president warns of staffing and response time issues
The union president for Essex-Windsor EMS workers says despite a drop in Codes Black, there are still staffing and response time issues. The president of CUPE Local 2974, which represents area paramedics, says while the frequency of Codes Black has decreased, any occurrence is too much. James Jovanovic said Essex-Windsor EMS went into Code Black on Friday night which meant there were no available ambulances to respond to calls in the entirety of the County of Essex. Jovanovic said during the times when EMS is not in Code Black, there are still issues affecting service. 'Even though we might not be in Code Black, we might only have one or two trucks available in the entirety of the county, so the response time might be anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes,' Jovanovic said. 'Even though Code Black's catch the headlines, we're often strained as a service and response times are extensive.' Jovanovic said the issue stems from not having the available paramedics needed to fill the allotment of ambulances for patrol. 'Unless we are able to address recruitment, retention, a lack of qualified paramedics in the province as a whole, are ability to compete with other larger services, our inability to compete with other emergency services who are paid approximately 20 per cent higher than EMS across the province, we simply don't stand a chance at being able to compete in that market,' he said. Jovanovic said Essex-Windsor EMS is in a constant strain of paramedic burnout leading to increased sick time. 'This all adds to the problem of where we are taking ambulances off the road that should otherwise be responding to our community,' Jovanovic said. 'So, unless something long term, and comprehensive is put into place, we're only going to see this problem increase while we have an aging population.' Jovanovic called upon county council to advocate more for the service as they have direct oversight of Essex-Windsor EMS. He also called upon all stakeholders, including the provincial government, to come up with a comprehensive approach that addresses recruitment and pay for paramedics. - Written by Dustin Coffman/AM800 News with files from CTV Windsor's Robert Lothian.
