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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.

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Shadow crown, 2021

Nicholas Hopwood

Darling Portrait Prize 2022 Highly Commended

She inherits our future.

My darling Josephine. While I am here I will arm you with love. While I am here I will give you all that I have. When I am no longer here, we will meet in the shadows behind the curtain of sleep. Almost awake. You will be wearing a crown.

This is a painting of my daughter Josephine. The concept for this work comes out of the anxieties I have around the kind of future we are leaving our children, and how best to prepare them for it, especially when we're no longer around.

Nicholas Hopwood
Video: 1 minute 37 seconds

Darling Portrait Prize 2022

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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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