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Portrait of Behrouz Boochani by Angus McDonald wins Archibald people’s choice award
A portrait of the Kurdish writer and refugee Behrouz Boochani has been voted the fan favourite at this year’s Archibald Prize portrait exhibition.
Key points:
- Boochani was detained on Manus Island after arriving in Australia by boat in 2013, only managing to leave for New Zealand in 2019
- McDonald said winning the people’s choice award was the “highest compliment”
- Boochani said he believed the work resonated with the public “because people see it as a symbol of hope and resistance”
The oil painting by six-time Archibald prize finalist Angus McDonald depicts Boochani’s piercing gaze.
McDonald first contacted Boochani, a writer, poet, filmmaker and journalist, while creating a short film about Manus Island in 2018.
Boochani was detained on Manus…
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