I’m Gulpilil
Craig Ruddy’s new portrait of actor, David Gulpilil is showing as part of Salon des Refusés 2021 at the S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney. The exhibition runs from 5 June to 15 August 2021.
I’m Gulpilil
Ruddy’s powerful, intimate portrait reflects the delicate transition as Gulpilil faces mortality, staring down death and reconnecting with spirit as he nears the end of his incredible life.
Ruddy’s previous portrait of Gulpilil “Two Worlds” won the 2004 Archibald Prize
This portrait is tribute to Gulpilil after artist and actor met again in Gulpilil’s Adelaide home, where he’s been receiving treatment for lung cancer during the past few years.
Yolngu Elder and one of Australia’s most celebrated actors, Gulpilil is renowned for his roles across nearly five decades of cinema, including Walkabout, Storm Boy, The Tracker and Crocodile Dundee.
The alternative Archibald and Wynne Prize selection
5 June – 15 August 2021
The Salon des Refusés was initiated by the S.H. Ervin Gallery in 1992 in response to the large number of works entered into the Archibald Prize which were not selected for display in the official exhibition. The Archibald Prize is one of Australia’s most high profile and respected awards which attracts hundreds of entries each year and the S.H. Ervin Gallery’s ‘alternative’ selection has become a much anticipated feature of the Sydney scene.
Each year our panel is invited to go behind the scenes of the judging process for the annual Archibald Prize for portraiture and Wynne Prize for landscape painting and figure sculpture at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, to select an exhibition from the many hundreds of works entered in both prizes but not chosen for the official award exhibition.
The Salon des Refusés exhibition at the S.H. Ervin Gallery has established an excellent reputation that rivals the selections in the ‘official’ exhibition, with works selected for quality, diversity, humour and experimentation, and which examine contemporary art practices, different approaches to portraiture and responses to the landscape.
Read more from the gallery and view the list of exhibiting artists