What started as a parody exhibition of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ famous Archibald Prize, the Bald Archy is now popular in its own right as it enters its 29th year. The mandate of the Bald Archy Prize is fun, they showcase artists who parody Australian pop culture icons for a giggle.
With a new base in Wagga Wagga the show is now touring and first stop is Canberra, seemingly appropriate given the number of pollies and powerful people portrayed in the exhibition. The Bald Archy then travels to Griffith, Mansfield, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Corowa, Holbrook, Deniliquin and Temora, before returning home.
As the traditional Archibald Prize does, the Bald Archy has an ability to capture the zeitgeist and also act as an interesting time capsule, for example last year’s winner was Judy Nadin for her painting, Flippin’ Kerfection which captured a collective excitement of watching The Matilda’s in the World Cup, and the personalities.
Who will this year’s winner be? We have to wait until the announcement at Watson Arts Centre on Friday 21 March 2025. And quite the proclamation it shall be as the judge is a cockatoo.
Yes, you read that correctly. Prize founder Peter Batey’s cockatoo Professor Maude will judge the prize. Since 1994 she signals the winning work by squawking in front of it, as the late Batey OAM said of Maude ‘It takes 11 galahs to judge the Archibald, but only one cockatoo to judge the Bald Archy.’
With an online PhD from the Marilyn Munro University of Little Rock, Professor Maude Cockatoo is the most qualified art critic, avian or otherwise, in Australia (according to Maude).
Maude’s number one rule for the prize-winner is that it must be funny, and as ‘the world’s premier avian art critic, it gives a genuine opportunity to artists of all styles and standards to create portrait paintings of humour, dark satire, light comedy or caricature.’
As the rules for entry state online artist applicants must depict a comic or satirical portrait of an Australian distinguished in Art, Science, Letters, Politics, Sport or the Media; these same rules also note that Professor Maude has a preference for light blue!
It’s been said that this year (and it doesn’t come as a huge surprise) that Australian Olympic break-dancer, Raygun is the most common choice of subject amongst the cohort on show but portraits of Peter Dutton and Gina Rinehart are also popular subjects for satire. You’ll also spot some other famous faces and scenes, including Barnaby Joyce and a planter box, a collage by Alice Beasley, Robert Irwin, and Anthony Albanese.
The prize founder Peter Batey had a rich career as an arts administrator in Australia with a particular focus on the theatre. In 2015 he said of the prize, ‘It was meant to amuse – apparently a problem with people who believe audible laughter shouldn’t be permitted in an art gallery, let alone unsolicited conversation with a complete stranger.’
See all the finalist works until 23 March 2025 at Watson Arts Centre, Canberra Potters Gallery. You can also view and purchase the catalogue of works online here.