James Hale
Bad and Australian | 2024 | Acrylic spray paint on linen | 100 x 100cm
Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2025 - Finalist
Image courtesy of the artist
Artist Statement
Cultural cringe gets free rein in this painting, which was inspired by a Facebook fight between two elderly drag queens that I observed but was too terrified to participate in.
The sentiment in my painting is a bit more sincere than the source material, but not by much. Genuine affection is there, even if it’s combined with open hostility. Coincidentally, this mixture is very, very Australian.