Newport artist Robert Hague has been selected as a finalist in Western Australia’s premier portrait prize for his first painting in 25 years.
His portrait of himself as Captain Cook, a statement on white privilege, is among 40 works shortlisted from more than 300 submissions for the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture.
It is the third richest portraiture prize in Australia after the Archibald and Doug Moran competitions, with a total prize pool of $70,000 and the winner taking home $50,000.
“This is my only painting in 25 years, although my first ever exhibition at 16 years old was painting,” Hague said.
“It is a work about how we must shine a light on our own white privilege to understand that bigotry and racism harms everyone.”
In his piece, Hague as Captain Cook sits “stabbing at a map”, as in the widely known portrait of Cook by Nathaniel Dance.
“In researching this work, I came to feel differently about Cook, a figure often reduced to short-hand for a ruthless empire, forever a symbol of all that is wrong with one people’s greed over another,” Hague said.
“Yet I have found that I am also Cook, unsure of what is mine and what is yours, never truly belonging and with a shared responsibility to repair the damage done.”
Hague said Dance’s portrait was rightfully mocked by many. So Hague transported Cook into a mystical garden scene on an over-the-top decorative plate.
“This image and the plate are broken,” said Hague, who has previously focussed on sculpture. The winner will be announced on November 10.
