A chance encounter at an Indigenous dance festival in far-north Queensland has resulted in this year’s winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize.
Indigenous photographer Wayne Quilliam was capturing photos at the Laura Quinkan dance festival, a showcase of Indigenous history through dance, when he saw a familiar face — that of Aurukun man, Eric Yunkaporta.
“I looked at him and I said, ‘brother, you look so familiar’. And we started to have a bit of a yarn and we realised that I’d photographed his grandfather, his community, his Uncles and Aunties, for many, many years,” he said.
Quilliam said he quickly took two or three photos of the “very quiet, incredibly strong young man” in ceremonial headwear before he thanked him and proceeded to watch the traditional dance.
The resulting portrait, Silent Strength, has been named the winner of the National Portrait Gallery’s 15th prestigious portrait prize.
The National Portrait Gallery’s Director of Collection and Exhibitions and judge on the competition’s panel, Sandra Bruce, said the portrait won in a unanimous decision.
Quilliam said he planned to set up a foundation or program to donate the $20,000 worth of photography equipment he won from the competition.
He said he hoped to give the equipment to Indigenous communities across Australia to help them capture their culture and history in a similar way.
“I want to ensure that our culture is recorded and it’s shared with not only our own people but people around the world,” Quilliam said.
Portrait of Guatemalan migrant with son wins highly commended prize
The National Portrait Gallery has also awarded a highly commended prize to New South Wales photographer, Adam Ferguson, who captured a striking portrait of Guatemalan migrant Carlos Soyos and his eight-year-old son, Enderson.
The portrait was taken at the migrant shelter on the Mexican/United States border, and was captured in a collaborative process.
“You can see the cable release for the camera in the portrait where Adam is giving the sitter the decision about when they take the portrait of themselves,” Ms Bruce said.
Ferguson said allowing Carlos to take the photo was a deliberate attempt to give him agency in telling his own story in a situation where his future was so uncertain.
The winning portraits, as well as the rest of the finalist entries for 2022, will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery for the next few months and will travel to regional and rural areas next year.
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