In 1998, acclaimed artist Tracey Moffatt gifted her portrait Some Lads #1 (Russell Page) to the National Portrait Gallery. A black and white photograph of young dancer and actor Russell Page, from the Nunukul people and the Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh Nation of south-east Queensland, it was one of the first two photographs acquired for the national collection. Twenty-five years later the Gallery had the extraordinary opportunity to acquire the full body of work, adding Some Lads #2, Some Lads #3, Some Lads #4 and Some Lads #5 to the collection.
Moffatt created the series at the Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre in Sydney, powerfully and playfully depicting Russell Page, Larrakia man Gary Lang, Muruwari man Matthew Doyle, and Graham Blanco, a descendant of the Mer (Murray Island) people – all who went on to have significant careers in dance.
