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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.

Returning the Gaze, 2022

Shannon May Powell

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023 Finalist

type C photograph on paper (frame: 57.7cm x 42.5cm depth 3.5cm)
Returning the Gaze, 2022

This image of Joshua Jon Lynch was part of a collection shot on medium format film and exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Photography for the Queering the Frame: Community, Time, Photography exhibition. The series attempted to playfully disobey classical portraiture, suggesting that the embodied photographer dares the gaze to be returned. What we see is not the objectification of a person, through acts of 'shooting' or 'capturing', but instead a reciprocal sharing of agency, vulnerability and power between the photographer and subject.

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

Stanley Lockdown Hair (2022)
Margaux
Mum helping with canvas
In my dreams I am dirty, broke, beautiful & free.

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.
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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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