Clara Adolphs and Jason Phu are finalists in the 2025 Archibald Prize

We are thrilled to announce that Clara Adolphs and Jason Phu are finalists in this year’s Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Phu’s subject is actor Hugo Weaving. Phu (who is also a subject in this year’s Archibald Prize), says:
older hugo from the future is fighting hugo from right now in a swamp, f*** everyone is a f****** c*** aren’t they, even the older version of you who was sent back in time to stop the world falling to s*** but couldn’t resist finding you and telling you about what you were doing wrong with your life, but like in a really personal and nasty way so that you somehow got into a fight in this swamp and all the frogs and insects and fish and flowers now look on and you both just look like a bunch of f***heads d***f*** horsec*** s***eater worm rat slugs.

Image: Jason Phu, ‘older hugo from the future fighting hugo from right now in a swamp and all the frogs and insects and fish and flowers now look on’, 2025, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 183.2 x 152.5 cm

Adolphs portrait subject is Adrian Jangala Robertson, a Warlpiri man from the Central Western Desert region, who is also a finalist in this year’s Archibald.
‘I first saw Adrian’s work at last year’s Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, and I was completely drawn in by a small painting of his depicting two figures, which I soon discovered were family members. I loved his use of colour and mark-making’.

‘I took a lot of photos, as my usual work is photography-based. Back in my studio, I made several more portraits. This painting is quite simple, but I think it captures Adrian’s quiet confidence and self-assurance as a painter.’

Image: Clara Adolphs, ‘Adrian Jangala Robertson (paintbrush and hat)’, 2025, oil on linen, 62.5 x 62.5 cm