Discover powerful portraits and the stories behind them in People, Place, Portraits, a new exhibition at Parliament House, curated by Big hART. Big hART is one of Australia’s leading arts and social change organisations. They work alongside communities experiencing complex social challenges, creating ambitious artworks that share stories often overlooked in Australia’s cultural life.

For more than 30 years, artist Robert Hannaford has painted many of Australia’s most significant public figures including prime ministers, governors-general and judges. Evert Ploeg has spent decades painting some of Australia’s most recognisable faces, from actor Deborah Mailman to conductor George Ellis. Gloria Pannka was a senior Western Arrernte artist and granddaughter of Albert Namatjira, continuing the Hermannsburg School watercolour tradition. Hubert Pareroultja was a senior Western Aranda-Luritja artist and nephew of Otto Pareroultja, one of the founding painters of the Hermannsburg School. Their works appear alongside digital portraits created by young people through Big hART’s Digital Pop-Up Lab.

Developed through more than 3 decades of collaboration with communities across Australia, the exhibition celebrates Elders, young people, artists and community leaders whose stories have helped shape the nation. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on who is remembered, whose stories are celebrated and how portraiture honours the people who enrich Australia’s cultural life.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that the following contains the names of deceased persons.