Flacco portrait wins Archibald Packers prize

25 Feb 2009, 3:02 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Artist Paul Jackson (left) and comedian Paul Livingston pose with the Packing Room Prize winning portrait (AAP)

Artist Paul Jackson (left) and comedian Paul Livingston pose with the Packing Room Prize winning portrait (AAP)

A painting of the comic character Flacco by Sydney-based artist Paul Jackson has won the 2009 Packing Room Prize for Archibald entrants.

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A painting of the comic character Flacco by Sydney-based artist Paul Jackson has won the 2009 Packing Room Prize for Archibald Prize entrants.
   
The head storeman at the Art Gallery of NSW, Steve Peters, chose the portrait of the character created by comedian Paul Livingstone.

It wins a cash prize of $500 and a $500 Myer gift card.

But it's not necessarily good news for New Zealand-born Jackson - the Archibald's never been won by the same work chosen for the Packing Room Prize.

But Jackson and Livingstone remain confident, telling reporters they'll not only win the Archibald but the People's Choice award too.
   
Flacco - a character described as a verbal gymnast with a wondrously absurd, sorrowful take on life - is shown in the portrait with a finger pointed on his bald head surrounded by his distinctive quiff of hair.
   
"Most of us are transported in some way by what we do, but in this case Flacco's work is informed by language, by the use of language, by the use of text, as is my work, even though it's a visual medium ..." Jackson said on Wednesday.

"And if you have someone who looks like the mini-me of the grim reaper you're going to find something in there to say about this person - a kind of Dr Jekyll and Mr Snide.

"I therefore decided it was time to represent Paul Livingstone as Flacco to show the internal structure of Flacco, who is in fact Paul Livingstone."
   
Livingstone, who posed for photographers at the gallery on Wednesday in an attitude similar to that of his Flacco portrait, said: "I'd much rather be popular than artistically relevant."

The $50,000 Archibald Prize, first awarded in 1921, will be announced on March 6.

On the same day, the $25,000 Wynne prize for landscape painting or figure sculpture and the $20,000 Sulman Prize for subject/genre painting and/or mural work will also be announced.
 

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