Susannah Curtis Tara

Tara Badcock is a Tasmanian-based conceptual artist and designer who works primarily in textiles: ‘I admire the sense of fun, empathy and authenticity she brings to her work,’ says Susannah Curtis, who has known Badcock for 18 years.

Badcock’s art often responds to the historical events from Tasmania’s past, including the attempted genocide of the Aboriginal population, which she describes as a massive historical scar that underlines everything in Tasmania with a charred sense of grief and guilt. She has said she feels neither pride nor sympathy for her colonial forbears against this raw, cruel history.

About her Archibald portrait of Badcock, Curtis says: ‘Tara’s nakedness reflects her humility as a person finding a sense of place in Tasmania despite her colonial heritage. Her headgear references an early colonial hat, whilst her plaited hair, wrapped around like a necklace, reminds me of Tasmanian Aboriginal necklaces of kangaroo sinew and grass cord covered with ochre, strips of animal fur and strings of shells.’

Curtis was born in 1975 in Sydney. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Art) from the University of Newcastle. This is her first time as an Archibald Prize finalist.