Thea Anamara Perkins

For this year’s Archibald Prize, Thea Anamara Perkins has chosen to paint her mother, Hetti Perkins, an art curator and writer.

‘I think she’s extraordinary. She’s my mum, so I get to talk her up!’ says Perkins, a four-time Archibald finalist, who is also represented in this year’s Wynne Prize.

‘She’s a champion of the arts and it has been a privilege to be surrounded by the many artists and arts workers who are drawn to her and her nurturing ways, many of whom we now consider family.

‘In her work as a curator, she has set a precedent of hard work, consultation and the practice of putting artists first. I want to celebrate curators and people working in the arts, because their contributions are the reason we understand, platform and value First Nations art,’ says Perkins.

‘Mum is a very strong woman and has captained our family’s little ship through troubled waters. She is now living in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, and I wanted to include Country as another figure in her portrait.’