First Koori to paint a Koori and win the Archibald Prize

Likening his win to winning an election, Blak Douglas makes history with a monumental portrait capturing resilience in the face of floods and featuring fellow artist Karla Dickens.

A Sydney-based artist with Dhungatti heritage, Blak Douglas (born Adam Hill) has won the 2022 Archibald Prize for his portrait of fellow Koori artist Karla Dickens, titled Moby Dickens.

It is the only the second time in the history of the Archibald that an Aboriginal sitter, painted by an Aboriginal artist, has won the prize following Vincent Namatjira’s winning portrait of AFL player Adam Goodes in 2020.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina