© National Portrait Gallery 2025
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196
National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023 Finalist
The Priestess – a celebration of the beauty and resilience of ageing freed from social pre-conceptions of what a woman should look like, of what role she 'should' play.
Here Floria Tosca's beloved Australian wildflowers are strap-wrapped to her head. They represent the blooming of her life's journey and the growth that comes with each passing year. The straps echo the traditional binding of burdens – as well as holding her to what she loves – the paradox within womanhood.
This portrait asks us to see Floria as she would like to be seen and celebrates the beauty and empowerment inherent in that.
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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