Congratulations to Paul Yore, whose portrait of Australian drag queen and icon Courtney Act, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, has now been unveiled!
The portrait, a glittering tribute to Sydney-based, Queensland-born performer Shane Jenek’s besequinned alter ego, is a wall-sized mosaic made up of thousands of items – from beads and pearls to shells, barbie dolls, hair and make-up accessories. A pair of sunglasses, stilettos, a beer bottle and a Sherrin football come together to tell a rich story about this internationally celebrated personality, performer and television star.
When first approached by the Portrait Gallery, Paul Yore said that he recoiled in trepidation, intimidated by the magnitude of the task and how to do her justice. ‘In the constellation of Australian queer icons, Courtney is a very bright star indeed; a trailblazer and true interdisciplinarian: all-round performer, author, advocate and globetrotting personality boldly putting Australian creativity on the map. As such, the work was beset with significant material, formal and conceptual challenges. My usual choice of material is discarded trash, and my method collage, yet I was charged with creating a likeness of Courtney, all the while expressing my own artistic point of view in my visual language.
‘The result is a surrealistic junk-art assemblage; a work that exists in a state of flux: halfway between image and sculpture, fantasy and reality, light and dark. I see the piece therefore as a meditation on queer subjectivity, attended as it is by indeterminacy and messiness, a dynamic process of constant reinvention.’ Yore said.
Bree Pickering, Director of the National Portrait Gallery said that the portrait celebrates a superstar performer whose work has influenced global culture. ‘Like Courtney, Paul Yore’s portrait is detailed, layered and deeply considered. The work is a tightly executed assemblage of objects and paraphernalia that is shimmering and alive with Courtney’s glamour front and centre. This artwork is a monument to queer culture and a celebration of the audacious energy needed to achieve everything Shane has. Paul approached this project with the care and humour inherent to his practice, and we’re thrilled to be honouring the magnificent Courtney Act with this portrait.’ Pickering said.
Paul Yore’s ‘In Between’ is now on display in Gallery 2, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.
Pictured: Courtney Act and Paul Yore at the portrait unveiling of ‘In Between’ at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 2026. Photos courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery