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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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The Shuttle, 2021

Andrew Rovenko

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2022 Finalist

digital print on paper (frame: 86.0cm x 106.8cm depth 2.0cm)

As Melbourne struggles through many days of restrictions, with limited options to play and learn for the kids, four-year-old astronaut Mia puts on her homemade space suit and helmet and goes on exploration missions in the familiar neighbourhood, using her imagination to turn the mundane world around her into an exciting adventure. This photograph is one of the memories from our daily walks, one of the stories we found. The lockdowns have ended. We'll outgrow the costume. But the time spent together exploring and imagining is one special gift to keep.

Courtesy of the artist

National Photographic 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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