My Archibald Entry 2019: It didn’t fly with the judges, but exploring my experiences in Melbourne was important for me

12 Mar

Written By Carl Gopalkrishnan (aka Gopal)

Fulfilling a promise made a few years ago, I asked Melbourne Muslim community leader Nail Aykan to be the subject for my portrait for the Archibald Prize. While we didn’t get short-listed (it's quite an Anglo event) it was tremendous fun, and more Australian Artists of colour should enter and have different stories heard. In this of all years, especially after March 2019, it was a painting which I put a lot of feeling into.

It is a relatively small painting. Only a 10x12" stretched canvas which you can view in my gallery Boy on Electric Scooter in Collapsing Universe 2. Thank you Nail for the sittings and the final painting and the conversations about art, history and the Muslim diaspora.

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Carl Gopalkrishnan (aka Gopal)

Over the past two decades, Carl Gopalkrishnan's artwork has garnered international recognition for its ability to forge meaningful connections between cultural narratives in art and literature and the complex dynamics driving international law, intervention, and global conflict. Carl transforms our familiar cultural artefacts into new myths. Through his art he opens a door for legal and military minds to explore the creative, subconscious, and emotional nuances underlying doctrines that shape war and peace.

https://www.carlgopal.com

My Archibald Entry 2019: It didn’t fly with the judges, but exploring my experiences in Melbourne was important for me

Collie Art Prize 2020: I was a finalist with a self-portrait I painted after my father’s death 2 years ago

Our first Christmas without Dad