The buzz is palpable as the Brisbane Portrait Prize 2025 Finalists Exhibition at the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) enters its final, thrilling days! Art lovers have just until this Sunday, November 9, to catch a glimpse of the city’s finest contemporary portraiture, including the magnificent $50,000 winner.
A Street Art Icon Captured in the Studio
This year’s prestigious $50,000 Lord Mayor’s Prize, supported by Brisbane City Council, was awarded to local artist Gus Eagleton for his captivating work, In the Studio with Fintan Magee.
Created using acrylic and aerosol on canvas, the winning piece is a depiction of celebrated Australian street artist Fintan Magee, a Brisbane native who is now globally recognised for his massive murals in cities like London, Vienna, and Miami.
Chief Judge Jason Smith, Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, hailed the painting as “exceptionally accomplished conceptually and technically.” Smith particularly noted the work’s “testing” composition and its “unusual double portrait of the same subject”, calling the artwork’s subtle energy and visual power “special”.
For Gus Eagleton, a long-standing Brisbane artist, the win is a career-defining moment. “It’s times like these that allow you to take a breath and continue on, knowing that you’re on the right track,” Mr Eagleton shared. His subject, Fintan Magee, was an early inspiration, showing him that a career could be forged in large-scale public art—the very path Eagleton has since followed.
Celebrating Brisbane’s Diverse Talent
The exhibition showcases the incredible “rich depth of talent and ingenuity of Brisbane artists,” according to Brisbane Portrait Prize Chair Anna Reynolds. The artworks offer a special insight into the lives of the sitters and the times we live in, revealing “the nobility inherent in the everyday”.
In addition to the top accolade, a host of other talented artists were recognised across various categories:
- Digital Prize: Marion Rodgers
- Performing Arts and Music Award: David Bongiorno
- Sylvia Jones Prize for Women Artists: Rebecca Davis
- Packers Prize: Kuweni Dias Mendis and Grant X Wilkes
- Metro Arts Experimental Portraiture Prize: Kuweni Dias Mendis and Grant X Wilkes
- Next Gen Prize (18 and under): Connor Bashar
- Emerging Artist Support: Ruby Herrenberg and Stella Valente (two recipients)
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner noted the prize “captures Brisbane’s spirit, diversity, and talent,” drawing tens of thousands of people and sparking crucial conversations.
Your Final Opportunity
State Librarian and CEO, Vicki McDonald AM, expressed the library’s pride in celebrating “the power of portraiture to capture the people, stories, and creative spirit of the state’s capital.”
With the exhibition concluding this Sunday, November 9, at the SLQ Gallery (first floor, State Library of Queensland), this is your final chance to immerse yourself in the outstanding work of these artists and witness the portraits that are defining Brisbane’s cultural moment. Don’t miss out on this world-class cultural experience!
This years winners
🏆 Brisbane Portrait Prize 2025 Winners Showcase
Lord Mayor’s Prize
- Artist: Gus Eagleton
- Artwork: In the Studio with Fintan Magee
- Subject: Fintan Magee
- Caption: Gus Eagleton’s powerful acrylic and aerosol portrait of global street artist Fintan Magee captures two distinct aspects of his artistic identity: the confident creator and the contemplative mind. For Eagleton, who studied fine art and painted graffiti, Magee was an early inspiration who proved that painting could be a career.
Performing Arts and Music Award
- Artist: David Bongiorno
- Artwork: Built This Way (Portrait of Karl S. Williams)
- Subject: Karl S. Williams
- Caption: David Bongiorno’s oil-on-canvas portrait features Gold Coast blues and folk musician Karl S. Williams. The dark, single-light composition creates a sense of introspection, giving Williams an “arresting air of timeless dignity reminiscent of kings and holy men of classical art” that merges with the artist’s style.
Packer’s Prize & Metro Arts Experimental Portraiture Prize
- Artists: Kuweni Dias Mendis and Grant X Wilkes
- Artwork: Homecoming
- Subject: Kuweni Dias Mendis
- Caption: A collaborative portrait exploring identity, this work shows artist Kuweni Dias Mendis in the waters of Back Creek, where she reconnected with her cultural identity after moving to Australia. The unique medium includes a cyanotype toned with Sri Lankan tea and Australian eucalyptus to reflect her journey.
Veracity Digital Prize
- Artist: Marion Rodgers
- Artwork: Paradox
- Subject: Marion Rodgers
- Caption: In this ethereal self-portrait, abstract photographer Marion Rodgers uses deliberate blurring and distortion—captured in-camera—to highlight emotion and intellectual curiosity over clarity. The goal was to create an Impressionistic image of a pensive figure, where “the meaning of a subject can often be more clearly seen in abstraction”.
Sylvia Jones prize for Women Artists
- Artist: Rebecca Davis
- Artwork: Seeing things differently
- Subject: Rebecca Davis
- Caption: An oil-on-canvas self-portrait painted during a time of deep professional and global uncertainty. The image, featuring a sparkly t-shirt and bold glasses, represents the artist’s “quiet resolve” to find stillness, respond on her own terms, and “look for the joy in the unexpected”.
Emerging Artist Prize (Ruby Herrenberg)
- Artist: Ruby Herrenberg
- Artwork: Astrid: Pub Choir
- Subject: Astrid Jorgensen
- Caption: Artist Ruby Herrenberg, who has Down Syndrome, created this vibrant acrylic-on-canvas portrait of Astrid Jorgensen, the visionary behind the global sensation Pub Choir. The artwork shows Jorgensen singing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, with the song’s lyrics forming the background of the piece.
Emerging Artist Prize (Stella Valente)
- Artist: Stella Valente
- Artwork: Part of the Furniture
- Subject: Kiri FitzGerald
- Caption: In this coloured pencil and pen portrait, 18-year-old Stella Valente depicts her high school art teacher, Kiri FitzGerald, whom she considers an inspiration. Valente attributes her teacher’s assistance in rebuilding her life and making her feel a part of the classroom environment.
Next Gen Prize
- Artist: Connor Bashar
- Artwork: NFD – Not Further Defined – My Father
- Subject: Shervin Bashar
- Caption: 17-year-old Connor Bashar’s digital artwork explores the complexities of identity as a Persian Australian navigating a “third space” between cultures. The unique image layers the eyes of his father within the artist’s own fingerprint, challenging the idea that a person can be easily categorised.
