Gina’s Golden Girls by Lesley Fitzpatrick. Photo: Supplied.
In February this year, I went out to the Watson Arts Centre to see the Bald Archy prize. It was my first time seeing the Archies, despite the fact that the prize has been running for many years.
If you don’t know anything about the Bald Archy prize, here’s a quick precis.
It’s a satirical art competition where the award is given to the best comic or satirical portrait of an Australian who has distinguished themselves in art, science, politics, sport or the media- anything, really, in the preceding 12 months. A sulphur-crested cockatoo judges the award.
It’s one of the few exhibitions where you hear laughter and a lot of chatter as people examine the finalists’ works. And there are a lot of portraits of sports people on display – Latrell Mitchell, Nathan Cleary, ‘Raygun’, to name a few.
Lesley Fitzpatrick, a local Canberra artist, has two works in the Bald Archy 2025 final competition.
One of Lesley’s works features a Gina Rinehart, floating happily in a pool on an inflatable kangaroo, with some of the Australian swimming team shoed in their gifted RM Williams gold boots watching coyly in the background, while ‘Raygun’ plays out her signature move centre stage.
With this exhibition under my belt, I decided last week to make my way out to the Strathnairn Arts Centre to see more of Lesley Fitzpatrick’s work.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Contradictions, Paradoxes and Enigmas is the title of Fitzpatrick’s exhibition. The works explore human, societal and environmental interactions in Australia.
Lesley Fitzpatrick alongside her works at Strathnairn Arts Centre. Photo: Jennifer Andrew.
Similar to Fitzpatrick’s works in the Bald Archies, these works raise questions about the complexities and contradictions of Australian life. Most works are confronting, although many, particularly the thylacine series, are set in iconic, beautiful Australian landscapes. However, these are also somewhat confronting as each painting includes some reminder that people have been there.
Thylacine: Ngunnawal country (Thylacine: Aranda Bushland, ACT) by Lesley Fitzpatrick. Photo: Supplied.
Strathnairn Arts is a wonderful setting for the exhibition. The exhibition area itself is housed within a converted 1920s homestead. There’s also a woolshed and a hall on the 9.5-hectare property, and the setting has stunning views of the Brindabella Mountains.
There’s also a café, run by Stepping Stone, a gift shop, and working spaces and facilities for artists and community groups.
Run as a not-for-profit and supported by ACT Government, Strathnairn Arts is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. It’s well worth the drive.
