ARCHIBALD PRIZE ENTRY 2019
SUBJECT: ALEC KNIGHT
This is the portrait of Alec Knight, the first Australian male in the New York City Ballet. Alec grew up in Brisbane, and by seven he and his family realised that football was not for him. He was hyper-focused on his dance. At the age of 17, he moved to New York by himself and was selected for the New York City Ballet. For the last six years, Alec has learned the ropes. Now he is stretching his wings in the scene, dancing in principle roles and teaching choreography. Inwood says: "He is a brilliant dancer with devilish looks and a presence as a performer. Outside of the ballet world, he has caught the eye of the fashion industry, gracing the catwalks in Milan for Dolce & Gabbana and modelling for Elle Mcpherson. Despite his looks and all of his achievements what you really stay for is the personality."
Find out more about Alec on his Instagram. If your in New York go see him dance, he's quite the performer!
Archibald Prize entry 2019
Alec The King
oil and pigment on board
130 cm x 81cm
Christopher R. Inwood
2019
ARCHIBALD PRIZE ENTRY 2018
SUBJECT: KIRIN J. CALLINAN
Archibald Prize entry 2018
Kirin J. Callinan
oil charcoal pigment on canvas
121 cm x 152 cm
Christopher R. Inwood
2018
“This world might be big enough for the both of us”.
After recently meeting in January, Christopher R. Inwood has spent 350 hours painting the avant-garde musician Kirin J. Callinan for the Archibald Prize 2018. You may know Kirin for his ARIA antics, his sharp look or his stage presence but it is his music that has enticed this portrait. Kirin’s music is beautiful, honest, perverse, humorous, and heart felt. His two solo albums, Embracism and Bravado build a ‘sound world’ like no other. At times his music is a jarring reflection of existence, and at other times reveling in the euphoria of pop. As a result of his talent, Kirin has worked with an extensive list of music greats such as Jimmy Barnes, Kevin Parker, Pond, James Chance, Alex Cameron, Connan Mockasin and brothers Neil and Tim Finn.
Inwood’s portraits often deal with the complexity of the individual and the viewer’s reaction to the subject’s representation. As a long-standing fan of Kirin, Inwood’s Archibald entry comes from this perspective, in hopes of depicting the complexity of his music and personality.
“Technology has given us greater access to our idols, thus shaping a filtered experience of them through the digital world. We often idealise the persona of those who we admire as our experience of them is their ‘performed self’. By using a digital aesthetic in my painting, I am expressing my experiences of Kirin’s ‘performed self’, his music and a reflection of a neglected side of his persona.”
Find out more about Kirin on his Instagram. Listen to his Embracism album then Bravado.
