Edward Humphrey Stan Walker

Stan Walker is an Australian-born Māori singer-songwriter and actor who first captured public attention when he won Australian idol in 2009. Edward Humphrey says: ‘Stan suffered hardship during his early life and following his recent diagnosis with stomach cancer. He dealt with these challenges in an optimistic manner, and was inspired to write songs with heartfelt melodies and lyrics that he dedicated to catastrophic events and world issues.

‘I see parallels between Stan’s passion to extend his musical talents and use that platform to contribute to the debate around social behaviour and attitudes in a cultural, environmental and personal context, and my passion to use an artistic platform to inspire and influence other artists and the general public to challenge themselves and extend their boundaries.’

During Humphrey’s first meeting with Walker they talked about his challenges and values, which informed his portrait. ‘I took hundreds of photos of Stan to capture his natural and authentic exactness, depicting his serious yet sincere personality, charisma and compassion through the choice of light, colour, expression, wardrobe and accessories,’ says Humphrey.

Humphrey was born in Sydney in 1998. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the National Art School. This is his first time in the Archibald Prize.