Archibald finalist’s portrait mirrored in Geelong’s historic seafront carousel

3 weeks ago 11

Sid Pattni was surprised when his self-portrait was shortlisted for this year’s Archibald Prize. His work features the suggestion of a face with only the eyes clearly visible. He wears a suit like that worn by King George for his coronation – which he also wore when he was declared the emperor of India in 1911 – and a turban like those worn by the maharajah, ousted from royalty by the British.

It’s not a fully formed face because it reflects an identity in a state of flux, he says.

Artist Sid Pattni at the Geelong carousel.

Born in London and raised in Kenya with Indian ancestry, Pattni and his family moved to Perth when he was 13. “Identity for me is not a fixed location ... there’s a lot happening in how I put myself together,” he says.

As the 2025 Archibald Prize opens this weekend at Geelong Gallery, the artist’s compelling work has inspired an installation on the seaside city’s foreshore. The historic carousel will be adorned with a series of mirrors, surrounded by ornate frames like those used in Pattni’s work.

Pattni’s artwork inspired a series of mirrors around the carousel, designed to prompt passers-by to reflect on ideas around identity.

By looking into the mirrors, passers-by will see themselves reflected, perhaps inspiring them to reflect on their own identity.

The Archibald Prize, run by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, seems to capture the imagination of Australians unlike any other art prize. “People love seeing faces that they’ve seen before in a new context,” says Pattni, who made the cut for the first time.

This year’s 57-strong shortlist includes nine other Victorians: Marcus Wills for his depiction of young actor Cormac Wright; Yvette Coppersmith and Richard Lewer with self-portraits; Jaq Grantford for a portrait of the Kidman sisters; Jason Phu for his work featuring Hugo Weaving; and Peter Wegner for his portrait of barrister Sue Chrysanthou.

Archibald Prize 2025 finalist, Sid Pattni ‘Self-portrait (the act of putting it back together)’, oil, synthetic polymer paint and hand-beaded appliqué on canvas.

The winning entry Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene) by Julie Fragar – which shows artist and best friend Justene Williams as a master conjuror – is on show, as is the Packing Room Prize-winner, Abdul Abdullah’s painting of his best friend Jason Phu in No mountain high enough.

Notions of identity have long intrigued 39-year-old Pattni – he did an art residency in India a few years ago, hoping to “reclaim this idea of Indian-ness that I didn’t have growing up”.

Detail of Pattni’s ‘They stole my identity and replaced it with a myth’.

“But I quickly realised that I was way too Western for them. The curators of the residency said ‘You’re never going to be Indian enough for India, you’re never going to be Australian enough for Australia’. [My work] is about imagining a sense of self that’s content and at peace with being between identities ... not trying to reconcile that but to explore it and find meaning in that.”

One of his earlier projects is The Story of Us, an exhibition featuring mixed-media portraits of refugees and asylum seekers he’d met through volunteering at Perth’s Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees. Featured in that show was fellow Archibald-finalist Mostafa Azimitabar, who uses a toothbrush to paint, a skill forced by necessity when he had no art supplies while being held in detention.

Pattni has been painting for about a decade and was “always that arty kid at school”. He studied art as an undergraduate and at post-graduate level, with a stint studying piano at Edith Cowan in between.

With an exhibition at Flinders Lane Gallery currently, Sydney Contemporary next month (with his gallerist Michael Reid Galleries), Miami Now in November, Art SG in Singapore in January and a show in Berlin in July, he is clearly in demand.

“I end up following things I enjoy doing, I’m a bit obsessive,” he says. “I get kind of good at it but I am always my harshest critic, so I’ve got a bit of growing to do.”

As well as self-identity, Pattni’s work explores “ideas of what being an Indian that fits into Western society looks like and what you have to give up in order to do that”.

“I did it as well and I still do it. You end up inhabiting these Western projections of how you should be – lightening your hair, and your eyes, staying out of the sun. These are all things that make you more attractive or palatable,” he says. “It’s not unique to Indian society, it happens to African people as well – it’s probably common in all colonised societies.”

Some of the most interesting reactions to his work have been people from the Indian diaspora, he says. “[They] have reached out and said they feel seen – which sounds cliched – but it’s cool for them to see their story being told by someone who looks like them.

“I am fitting all those pieces of the puzzle together … I’m glad I’ve got art to help do that.”

The 2025 Archibald Prize is at Geelong Gallery until November 9.