Art Gallery of New South Wales

Clara Adolphs, Richard Lewer, Zaachariaha Fielding, Ildiko Kovacs, and Josina Pumani announced as FINALISTS in the Archibald, Sir John Sulman, and Wynne Prizes

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

Richard Lewer commission unveiled with opening of Sydney Modern Project

The expansion of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney – titled the Sydney Modern Project – has now been officially launched with the gallery unveiling nine Australian and international artists that have been commissioned to create works as part of the build.

For this commission, Richard Lewer went behind the scenes to capture the stories and portraits of people involved in the design and construction of the Art Gallery’s new building. His multipanel painting and suite of drawings celebrate the labour and personalities of those who have helped build Sydney’s newest cultural and architectural landmark.

Ildiko Kovacs, Finalist in the 2015 Wynne Art Prize

Congratulations to Ildiko Kovacs, finalist in the 2015 Wynne Art Prize! The Wynne Prize is an annual award for the best landscape painting of Australian scenery in oils or watercolours, or for the best example of figure sculpture by Australian artists. Finalists are displayed in an exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 18 July – 27 September 2015.

Image: Ildiko Kovacs, Sunlit, 2015, oil on plywood, 180 x 245 cm.

Ildiko Kovacs, Winner of the 2015 Bulgari Art Award

Congratulations to Ildiko Kovacs on winning the 2015 Bulgari Art Award!

Ildiko is the fourth winner of the Bulgari Art Award, one of the most prestigious art awards in Australia.

The $80,000 award includes the acquisition of one of Ildiko's works by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and a $30,000 residency in Italy.

The acquired work, Onda, is also the first acquisition of Ildiko's work by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

"Onda" is the Italian word for "wave"; Ildiko said of the work: "For me it’s a really important part of being at Bundeena, I love the ocean...The ocean has always been my lifeline...a lot of my work I guess is the rhythm of the wave, it’s my response to nature."

The Art Gallery of New South Wales' Head Curator Wayne Tunnicliffe said: "I have long admired the gestural brilliance [of Ildiko's work]..."Onda...exemplifies the artist's innate understanding of colour and line."

Onda is currently on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Head on over to our Facebook to check out photos from the award Gala!

Image: Ildiko Kovacs, Onda, 2015, oil on plywood, 180 x 365 cm, collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.