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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.

Ruby (left view), 2022

Shea Kirk

digital photograph on paper (frame: 103.5cm x 83.5cm depth 3.7cm)

'I've always struggled with the size of my body from being extremely underweight to now being overweight. Over the past few years working with other photographers, making portraits, I've been processing my feelings about the transformation and how my body fits within society. I've begun to reclaim my skin, by designing symbols about my life so far that I’ve been getting tattooed. I’m starting to feel more at home in my big queer body.'

This portrait of Ruby is half of a stereoscopic pair from the ongoing project Vantages.

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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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