The National Portrait Gallery unveiled its newest collection to the public on Saturday, with 20 portraits of some of Australia’s most recognised faces commissioned to mark the institution’s 20th birthday.
Twenty artists from around the country captured the national icons in their rawest moments for the collection entitled 20/20 - some through photography, some using paint and other materials.
Among the subjects was Vietnamese-born Tan Le, who arrived on Australian shores by boat at the age of four.
Tan Le. Source: Supplied
The entrepreneur, who now lives in San Francisco, said growing up in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray had its challenges.
“I experienced a tremendous amount of rejection and push-back, both in terms of the writings on the wall, ‘Asians go home’,” she said.
“We see that now in terms of the raging debates we have around what we want to do about people who hope to call Australia home. These things mean a lot to someone who’s new, someone who is trying to find their own place in a new society."
Ms Le began her university studies at 16 and in 1998 was named Young Australian of the Year for her work in the community and around multiculturalism.
She worked as a lawyer before getting into technology, founding Emotiv, a company that studies brain activity, in 2011. Last year Emotiv developed technology that helped a quadriplegic man drive a Formula One Car using only his thoughts.
Photographer John Tsiavis said: "I wanted to honour Tan Le with this portrait. She is a community leader, entrepreneur, business executive and an innovator in technology ... [but] I wanted to also pay tribute to Tan’s past."
"It would have been perhaps easy to overlook or disregard a small refugee girl, but I wanted to show that our humanity and kindness can give someone an opportunity that unlocks her potential to enhance and change our world forever."
The National Portrait Gallery's 20/20 launch in Canberra. Source: Supplied
Alongside Ms Le, other prominent Australians from all walks of life were recognised for their achievements in their chosen professions.
Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Angus Trumble said people selected for the portraits were subjects of distinction in "business, industry, science and technology, the performing arts, literature, poetry, drama, dance, philanthropy," among other categories.
Darwin-born singer Jessica Mauboy told SBS News she was "gobsmacked" when she was asked.
Jessica Mauboy and her portrait. Source: Supplied
She spoke about her career as a singer and actress, and how she was always in the "light", being made up and dressed with different hair, makeup and jewellery as a part of her career.
Prior to her shoot with artist David Rosetzky, Mauboy said they spoke about how she truly saw herself.
“This time around I really want to be raw and I really want to be natural … I don’t want the big gowns, how about it just be you and I, blank canvas, and we paint and create whilst being in the studio,” she said.
Former Wallabies great Tony Shaw also features in the collection. He told SBS News he was honoured to be asked.
“There are 20 artists and 20 people from different walks of life, from sport, from every endeavour. It’s a huge honour for me to be a part of this process, absolutely.”
Rugby Union Footballer, Tony Shaw. Source: Sarah Rhodes.
Shaw was dubbed 'Crazy Eyes' by his peers during his playing career due to the gaze he showed after scoring. Photographer Sarah Rhodes said she wanted to capture that essence in the portrait.
"Rugby Australia describe him as 'a hard and uncompromising forward'," she said. "I wanted to make a psychological portrait reflecting Shaw’s intensity on the field."
20/20: Celebrating Twenty Years with Twenty New Portrait Commissions runs at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra until 10 February 2019.
