We are thrilled to share that Clara Adolphs and Richard Lewer have been announced as finalists in the 2025 Archibald Prize; and Zaachariaha Fielding and Ildiko Kovacs have been announced as finalists in the Sulman Prize! Also celebrating the inclusion of upcoming exhibiting artist Josina Pumani, who is also a finalist in the Wynne Prize.
The finalist exhibition will be presented from 10 May to 17 August 2025 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Clara Adolphs, Adrian Jangala Robertson (paintbrush and hat), 2025, oil on linen, 62.5 x 62.5 cm
About this painting, Clara states: "I first saw Adrian’s work at last year’s Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, and I was completely drawn in by a small painting of his depicting two figures, which I soon discovered were family members. I loved his use of colour and mark-making,’ says Clara Adolphs, who lives and works in the Southern Highlands, NSW. Her portrait subject, Adrian Jangala Robertson, is a Warlpiri man from the Central Western Desert region, who is also a finalist in this year’s Archibald.
I spoke to Adrian at the Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists studio a few times via video call, alongside the studio manager, before travelling to Mparntwe/Alice Springs for a few days of painting together. We come from different worlds but there are a lot of similarities in our work. He paints his family and I draw on old family photography. Adrian is non-speaking and English is his second language, but we communicated through our painting, sitting side by side,’ says Adolphs.
‘I took a lot of photos, as my usual work is photography-based. Back in my studio, I made several more portraits. This painting is quite simple, but I think it captures Adrian’s quiet confidence and self-assurance as a painter."
Richard Lewer, You are only as good as your last painting, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 200 cm
Richard Lewer’s self-portrait depicts him stepping back to examine his painting, having taken off his glasses.
"This portrait is an exploration of artistic discipline and the relentless pursuit of improvement. The title of the work, You are only as good as your last painting, speaks to the collective experience of being an artist, the solitude of the studio, and the unending drive to make a painting better than your last,’ he says.
Born in Aotearoa New Zealand and based in Melbourne, Lewer is a five-time Archibald finalist.
"In the portrait, my clothes are flecked with the smears and splotches of paint from months in the studio. There is a physicality to the outfit; it is a palette, a uniform, and a record of repetition, routine and the discipline of making. The glasses in one hand and paintbrush in the other are metaphors for the act of looking and making; the tools of observation and inspiration."
Richard’s latest exhibition ‘The stories that persist are not always true’ is currently showing at Hugo Michell Gallery until 10 May 2025.
Zaachariaha Fielding, The Scandal - Nganalu Tjalamilanu Who Sold Out?, acrylic, ink and aerosols on linen, 240 x 198 cm, 2025. Photo by Andy Francis, courtesy of the APYACC
This work was born from discomfort – painted in the shadow of the APY Art Centre Collective scandal, but shaped by deeper questions. Who controls our stories? Are we selling stories or celebrating them? Why must Black success be regarded with suspicion or framed as cultural betrayal?
Cultural knowledge, once held in ceremony, now sits on canvas. Does this make us sellouts, mark us as survivors, or victors in a game we never designed?
This work doesn’t offer answers. It lives in the grey areas. It’s a protest. A prayer. A reminder that our stories are alive – and so are we. And no matter how they’re told – on cave walls or on canvases – they belong to us.
Ildiko Kovacs, Tracing light, 2025, oil and oil stick on plywood, 240 x 180 cm
About this painting, Ildiko states: "The afternoon sun falls onto my studio wall, cutting a beam of light through the translucent corrugated roof. The shadow it casts moves slowly across the painting I’m working on. Sometimes, the wind in the trees creates a jiggling line.
While contemplating the painting, I trace the light, following the shadowed line. It’s an intuitive response to the brightness and movement of the afternoon sun as it passes through my studio."
Josina Pumani, Ngayuku tjukurpa – Maralinga (My story – Maralinga), 2025, hand-built stoneware, underglaze, 69 x 49 x 48 cm irreg. Courtesy of the APYACC
Josina Pumani has been told the story of Maralinga since she was a little girl. "My family were hurt by the bombs,’ she explains. ‘Many Aṉangu got sick or died, including my uncle Yami Lester, who was blinded by the bomb."
Using the coil method to build her vessel, Pumani has given form to the British atomic weapons testing program undertaken in remote South Australia during the 1950s and 1960s. The effects of these tests were severe and have had lasting impacts on Aṉangu. She uses a vibrant red to represent the poison from the bombs and the internal grey to refer to the smoke. The texture and detailed depictions on the exterior form includes punu (trees), circling toxic winds, and Aṉangu gathering in a wiltja (shelter).
Pumani works through the APY Art Centre Collective’s Tarntanya/Adelaide studio and has been making ceramics since 2024. This is her first time as a finalist in the Wynne Prize.
We look forward to presenting an exhibition by Josina Pumani in September 2025.
Register your interest at mail@hugomichellgallery.com
