Old Girl’s Artwork Receives High Praise

POSTED February 11 2022 , News, Old Girls

St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School is thrilled to announce that talented Old Girl, Athena (’21), was recently selected as a finalist in the National Portrait Gallery’s 2022 Little Darlings Youth Portrait Prize.

The Little Darlings Youth Portrait Prize is a competition for primary and secondary students, with four separate categories across Kindergarten to Year 12. For the 2022 prize, students were asked to respond to the theme ‘identity’ by painting, drawing, photographing, printing or combining all of these to make their portrait.

Athena wowed National Portrait Gallery judges Karen Quinlan AM (Director), Karen Vickery (Director, Access and Learning), and Rebecca Ray (Associate Curator) with this stunning portrait of her grandmother.

Athena said that she set out to create more than just an eye-catching portrayal of her beloved grandmother.

“Growing up as a first-generation Australian meant that unlike my refugee parents, I grew up in a far more privileged environment. However, it also meant I grew up divorced from much of my culture and Vietnamese heritage,” she said.

“With my work, I wanted to illustrate the traditional and modern elements of myself and my family. By painting my grandmother using an iPad and digital pen, I feel I have captured my family’s heart of spirituality and heritage but with a truly innovative format.

“This shows that one’s heritage can be built and nurtured, regardless of time or place.”

Athena’s portrait will be displayed in the National Portrait Gallery from 25 June to 9 October.