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National Photographic Portrait Prize 2019 Finalist
Morteza Arefifar, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan suffering from depression brought on by prolonged detention, stands for a portrait at the now-closed Manus Island Detention Centre in Papua New Guinea on 8 November, 2017. The centre had officially closed eight days earlier, on October 31, but a large number of asylum seekers refused to be relocated to new centres on Manus; they remained at the site without power and with inadequate access to water, food and medical treatment. Before its closure, the centre was an Australian Government offshore immigration detention facility, opened as one of the measures to deter irregular migrants from seeking asylum in Australia.
The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.
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