Archibald Prize spotlights ‘unhinged and unapologetic’ Adelaide filmmakers
A ‘pseudo-portrait’ of Danny and Michael Philippou, the Pooraka twins who turned viral YouTube notoriety into Hollywood success, is among the finalists for this year’s Archibald Prize.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales’ annual portrait prize is back for another year, with a pool of 59 finalists from 1034 entries featuring often-famous faces such as Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie, champion surfer Layne Beachley, Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns, Governor-General Sam Mostyn, and artist Khaled Sabsabi.
Danny and Michael Philippou, the Pooraka-raised brothers who springboarded to Hollywood success on the back of two Adelaide-filmed horror films, Talk to Me and last year’s Bring Her Back, are the subject of Sydney-based artist Drew Bickford’s entry RackaRacka (attack!).
The 2024 finalist’s unconventional portrait depicts a messy tiled floor scattered with matches, yellow crime scene tape, band-aids, and copies of the American film magazine Fangoria featuring the brothers on the cover.
Bickford says this “pseudo-portrait” pays tribute to the “lurid and visceral” canon of horror films that inspire both Bickford and the “unhinged and unapologetic” work of the twins.
“I love that their world feels like a rollercoaster of ‘safe danger’ – a chaotic but tightly controlled experience, just like horror movies,” Bickford explains.
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The pair, who rose to prominence on the back of home-made prank and special effects videos posted to their ‘RackaRacka’ YouTube channel, became Hollywood success stories after their low budget horror feature Talk to Me earned $140 million internationally and saw the pair backed by taste-making studio A24.
“The composition references the kind of reckless carnage the boys leave in their wake; a contaminated crime scene and a dangerous physical presence that might suggest playing with fire and running with scissors. Hopefully, the work paints the twins as hell-for-leather storytellers whose combustible practice sits somewhere between destruction and entertainment.”
Returning to the Archibald shortlist for the 12th time is Adelaide-based artist Tsering Hannaford, who has followed her poignant 2025 self-portrait with another piece reflecting on the impact of physical injury on art-making – this time through a portrait of fellow finalist Loribelle Spirovski.
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“Five years ago, Loribelle sustained an injury which saw her navigate years of chronic pain, making painting extremely difficult,” Hannaford explains. “In 2025, Loribelle adapted her method of painting to use her fingers, and her portrait of William Barton won the Archibald People’s Choice in both Sydney and Geelong.”
Spirovski also appears in this year’s shortlist with a finger-painting of songwriter Daniel Johns, who she met during the making of Scott Hicks’ 2023 documentary The musical mind: a portrait in progress.
Indulkana-based artists Vincent Namatjira and Kaylene Whiskey also feature, with Namatjira – who won the prize in 2020 for his portrait of former Sydney Swan Adam Goodes – delivering a playful tribute to his love of ten-pin bowling. Whiskey’s piece, Dancing with The Huxleys, portrays the Yankunytjatjara artist alongside Melbourne arts duo The Huxleys.
Celebrated Pitjantjatjara artist Iluwanti Ken also appears via a portrait by Richard Lewer, who travelled to Tjala Arts in Amata to create the work. “Although we have known one another for several years through shared exhibitions, being on Country together deepened my understanding of her presence and the responsibilities she carries,” Lewer says.
Other noteworthy subjects include Ahmed Al Ahmed, who drew international praise after stepping in to disarm one of the attackers during the December 2025 Bondi terror attack. Al Ahmed was hospitalised after receiving multiple gunshot wounds in the attack.
“I chose to depict his victorious pose at the SCG stadium, where he was cheered by the crowd shortly after leaving hospital – a moment that signifies bravery and peace,” first-time Archibald finalist Julia Dover says of the oil painting, titled simply, My Friend. “I gave him an evil eye to hold in his fist, to celebrate his triumph over evil. He stands against a contrasting background of soft buttery pink to reflect the ambience of his soul.”
Melbourne-based artist Chris Watts has also contributed a colourful profile of retired West Coast Eagle Mitch Brown, who last year made history as the first male AFL player to publicly come out as bisexual. Watts incorporated the colours of the bisexual flag in the piece, which celebrates Brown’s “pivotal step for queer visibility” in the AFL and men’s sport in Australia.
This year’s Packing Room Prize, judged by gallery staff, has gone to Melbourne painter and first-time finalist Sean Layh for his portrait of actor Jacob Collins, depicted as Shakespeare’s doomed prince in a work titled The tragicall historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke.
The winner of the 2026 Archibald Prize will be announced on May 9, before all finalists are exhibited at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until August 16.
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