Tsering Hannaford Sally Scales

Artist and activist Sally Scales is a Pitjantjatjara woman from Pipalyatjara in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in South Australia.

‘I approached Sally after hearing her speak at an event. At a time when young women are standing up and having their voices heard, Sally is amongst them,’ says Tsering Hannaford. ‘Spirited and passionate, she’s part of a driven leadership team working for the Uluru Statement reform, with Professor Megan Davis and Patricia Anderson.’

The Uluru Statement is a call by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for structural reforms including the establishment of a First Nations voice to Parliament.

‘This painting was inspired by the portraits of the Gilded Age, a refined, opulent art aesthetic of the late 1800s when society people were elevated by portraits with lots of conspicuous glamour. Sally and I wanted to capture some of this essence in her portrait. Sally is a compassionate woman who works tirelessly to elevate those in her community, but here we celebrate her: a working mother to son Walter, an artist and leader – a young woman stepping into her power.’

Scales began painting in 2020, after working closely with arts leaders and Elders from the APY Art Centre Collective. She is a finalist in this year’s Wynne Prize.

This is Hannaford’s eighth time as an Archibald finalist; her father Robert Hannaford is also a 2022 finalist in the Archibald.