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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

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Gurkirat, 2009

by Rod McNicol

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 Finalist

From a new series titled A portrait: Visitors to my village, this image of Gurkirat continues my life-long preoccupation with portraiture involving a full-frontal gaze to the camera. The genesis of this particular genre dates from the beginning of photography itself. That self-conscious stare back to the photographer, so evident in early photography, has always held a fascination for me. In this series of portraits of young visitors from overseas that are here to study, I have used a purposefully stark mise-en-scene and a judicious sense of colour in an attempt to pare these portraits back to this very conscious essence.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2010

Other NPPP photos from Rod McNicol

Barry Jones AC, 2021 Rod McNicol
2022 Finalist
Tracey, 2018 by Rod McNicol
2019 Finalist
Self-portrait, 2015 by Rod McNicol
2016 Finalist
My friend Siu’s dear mother, Mrs Chan, 2014 by Rod McNicol
2015 Finalist
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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