Charlotte Ruth Painting with toothbrush

Charlotte Ruth’s subject is artist Mostafa ‘Moz’ Azimitabar, a refugee from Iran who was held in detention by the Australian Government for eight years. He is a finalist in this year’s Sulman Prize.

‘I met Moz at last year’s Archibald, in which he was a finalist,’ says Ruth, who makes her own Archibald debut this year. ‘He was standing in front of his painting and telling his story. His ability to hold a crowd was incredible; people would leave in tears. That is why he is such a good artist.

‘His story is not my narrative to tell; I wanted to portray Moz, the artist.

‘He used a toothbrush and coffee to paint while he was in detention on Manus Island. Here, he is holding a toothbrush – which he still uses in his art practice – and a tube of paint, as he prepares for his next painting.’

Ruth reuses canvases as a part of her practice. ‘I didn’t intend to mask the painting underneath; it has a history. It is satisfying to me that this canvas ended up on a gallery wall rather than in landfill.’