Canberra body-love activist The Bodzilla to be honoured in Archibald Prize 2025 portrait painting
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In a “f**k you” to diet culture, fatphobia, and self-hate, Canberran artist and the Founder of Re/ Artists Collective Alexandria Brock is painting body-positive activist and public speaker The Bodzilla.
Collaborating to spread body positivity messages and raise awareness for the Butterfly Foundation, the pair is hoping to donate a portion of prize money to the national charity.
Having painted Australian hip-hop artist Tuka in 2018, Alexandria has always created figurative pieces inspired by women’s resilience and beauty. So, it’s no wonder that she turned her sights to body positivity activist and certified baddie April Hélène-Horton for a stand-out entry in the 2025 Archibald Prize.
“There’s already quite a lot of diversity in the Archie,” she says.
“The Bodzilla is a must-paint for this and many other reasons. I chose April because yes, her iconic aesthetic needs to be captured in a portrait; but also because her messages about self-love – and people minding their own business when it comes to other people’s worthiness and appearance – should be immortalised and amplified.”
“I want to see April’s portrait on exhibition in Australia’s most popular portrait competition so that people can make no mistake – Every body is portrait-worthy. Every body is worthy. Everybody is worthy.”
Featured in the SBS documentary What Australia Really Thinks About…,Australia’s first plus-size bikini billboard campaign Beach Please, the six-episode cooking series Flawsome: Sex, Drugs and Recipes, and on pods The Nasty Woman Club, Clementine Ford’s Big Sister Hotline, Abbie Chatfield’s It’s A Lot, April has become well known and loved for her advocacy surrounding for body acceptance and fat positivity.
She has a clear message for anyone seeking to shrink the presence of those who don’t meet limiting beauty standards: Having a more compassionate relationship with yourself allows you to also show compassion for others.”
“Your body is worthy of love and respect, and so is theirs.”
Alexandria says she hopes by immortalising her amazing aesthetic in a portrait, April’s legacy of sticking it to diet culture and fatphobes while promoting self-love will be carried through the ages.
And in a move close to both their hearts, Alexandria intends to donate a portion of any prize earnings generated from the portrait to the Butterfly Foundation.
“After struggling with eating disorders myself and being saved by Butterfly Foundation, I know they – and the influence of advocates like The Bodzilla – actually make a pivotal difference in improving people’s self-perception, mental wellbeing and lives,” she says.
April, who has been part of various Butterfly Foundation campaigns over the last few years, shares Alexandria’s sentiments.
“Butterfly Foundation is one of the most incredible organisations I have ever worked with – the passion and respect the team have for the lived experience advocates they work with is so valuable,” she says.
“The work they’ve done and will continue to do is literally life-saving.”
With dates for the 2025 Archie yet to be announced, keep an eye on Re/ Artists Collective’s and The Bodzilla’s Instagram accounts for updates!
Photography: Megan Kruger Photography.
