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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.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Ruby (left view), 2022

Shea Kirk

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023 Winner

digital photograph on paper (frame: 103.5cm x 83.5cm depth 3.7cm)
Ruby (left view), 2022

'I've always struggled with the size of my body from being extremely underweight to now being overweight. Over the past few years working with other photographers, making portraits, I've been processing my feelings about the transformation and how my body fits within society. I've begun to reclaim my skin, by designing symbols about my life so far that I’ve been getting tattooed. I’m starting to feel more at home in my big queer body.'

This portrait of Ruby is half of a stereoscopic pair from the ongoing project Vantages.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023
(More information, View all 47 photos)

Bangardidjan
KAHA
Ugandan Ssebabi
Portrait of Zachary

Other NPPP photos from Shea Kirk
(More information)

Alfie Barker (right view), 2023 Shea Kirk
2024 Finalist
Ella B Rowe (right view), 2021 Shea Kirk
2022 Finalist
Gemma Baxter (right view), 2019 Shea Kirk
2020 Art Handlers' Award
Callan Bradley Hales (left and right view), 2018 by Shea Kirk
2019 Finalist

Related information

Ruby (left view), 2022 Shea Kirk
Ruby (left view), 2022 Shea Kirk
Ruby (left view), 2022 Shea Kirk
Ruby (left view), 2022 Shea Kirk

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023

Previous exhibition, 2023

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.
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance

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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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