Exhibition exploring the Self-Portrait tours throughout Queensland

George W Lambert, Australia/England 1873-1930 / Self portrait (unfinished) c.1907 / Oil on canvas / 92.1 x 71.3cm / Gift of Dr Robert Graham Brown 1942 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

George W Lambert, Australia/England 1873-1930 / Self portrait (unfinished) c.1907 / Oil on canvas / 92.1 x 71.3cm / Gift of Dr Robert Graham Brown 1942 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image

Our persistent interest in the self-image is explored in the Queensland touring exhibition ‘Looking Out, Looking In: Exploring the Self-Portrait’ from March 2025. Devised against the backdrop of contemporary ‘selfie’ culture through historical examples and artworks that reflect contemporary trends, the exhibition highlights a diverse approach to the timeless artistic genre.

We have become increasingly attuned to the self-image through the ubiquity of handheld digital devices, social media and reality TV, all of which create a new context for self-portraiture. Through historical examples and artworks that reflect contemporary trends, the exhibition reveals significant cultural shifts and identify the universal themes that still characterise the genre.

While some artists look inwards to reflect on themselves in self-effacing ways, others project a more flamboyant image. Together, the artworks situate self-portraiture as a dynamic genre responsive to larger societal concerns, and linked to the collective desire to picture and comprehend ourselves.’

We see artists scrutinise the mutability of the self-image, whether through masking or distortion, while others examine their bodies as sites of self-assertion or experimentation. We look at the multifaceted nature of identity, and the idea that our sense of self is informed by many influences, including social circles and family ties, alternatively there are those that contest the notion of individuality, and the idea that a self-portrait can reveal a different identity. Then there are artists that have just captured themselves in profile, or photographs reflecting a documentary value and play on the relationship between camera and photographer.

In an age when digital technology has transformed the way we live and interpret our lives, ‘Looking Out, Looking In’ considers our contemporary obsession with self.

George W Lambert Self portrait (unfinished) c.1907

George W Lambert, Australia/England 1873-1930 / Self portrait (unfinished) c.1907 / Oil on canvas / 92.1 x 71.3cm / Gift of Dr Robert Graham Brown 1942 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

George W Lambert, Australia/England 1873-1930 / Self portrait (unfinished) c.1907 / Oil on canvas / 92.1 x 71.3cm / Gift of Dr Robert Graham Brown 1942 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image

Marjorie Fletcher Self-torso 1934

Marjorie Fletcher, Australia 1912–88 / Self-torso 1934, cast 1992 / Bronze / 52.5 x 22 x 19.8cm (irreg.) / Gift of Don and Alison Mitchell through the QAG Foundation 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Marjorie Fletcher/Copyright Agency

Marjorie Fletcher, Australia 1912–88 / Self-torso 1934, cast 1992 / Bronze / 52.5 x 22 x 19.8cm (irreg.) / Gift of Don and Alison Mitchell through the QAG Foundation 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Marjorie Fletcher/Copyright Agency / View full image

Nora Heysen Self portrait 1938

Nora Heysen, Australia 1911–2003 / Self portrait 1938 / Oil on canvas laid on board / 39.5 x 29.5cm / Purchased 2011 with funds from Philip Bacon AM through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Lou Klepac

Nora Heysen, Australia 1911–2003 / Self portrait 1938 / Oil on canvas laid on board / 39.5 x 29.5cm / Purchased 2011 with funds from Philip Bacon AM through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Lou Klepac / View full image

James Gleeson Structural emblems of a friend (self portrait) 1941

James Gleeson, Australia 1915–2008 / Structural emblems of a friend (self portrait) 1941 / Oil on canvas board / 46 x 35.6cm / Purchased 1984 with the assistance of the John Darnell Bequest / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © QAGOMA

James Gleeson, Australia 1915–2008 / Structural emblems of a friend (self portrait) 1941 / Oil on canvas board / 46 x 35.6cm / Purchased 1984 with the assistance of the John Darnell Bequest / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © QAGOMA / View full image

Laith McGregor Maturing (still) 2008

Laith McGregor, Australia b.1977 / Maturing (still) 2008 / Single-channel video projection (DVD): 30 minutes, colour, silent / Purchased 2011. John Darnell Bequest / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Laith McGregor

Laith McGregor, Australia b.1977 / Maturing (still) 2008 / Single-channel video projection (DVD): 30 minutes, colour, silent / Purchased 2011. John Darnell Bequest / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Laith McGregor / View full image

Vincent Namatjira Albert and Vincent 2014

Vincent Namatjira, Western Aranda/Pitjantatjara people, Australia b.1983 / Albert and Vincent 2014 / Synthetic polymer paint on linen / 120 x 100cm / Gift of Dirk and Karen Zadra through the QAGOMA Foundation 2014. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Vincent Namatjira/ Copyright Agency

Vincent Namatjira, Western Aranda/Pitjantatjara people, Australia b.1983 / Albert and Vincent 2014 / Synthetic polymer paint on linen / 120 x 100cm / Gift of Dirk and Karen Zadra through the QAGOMA Foundation 2014. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Vincent Namatjira/ Copyright Agency / View full image

Participating Venues: 8 March 2025 – 15 August 2027
Cairns Art Gallery
8 March – 1 June 2025
Caboolture Regional Art Gallery
21 June – 6 September 2025
Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery
29 November 2025 – 18th January 2026
Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery
30 January – 19 April 2026
Gladstone Regional Art Gallery & Museum
1 May – 20 June 2026
Artspace Mackay
3 July – 20 September 2026
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery
13 February – 9 May 2027
Qantas Founders Museum
22 May – 15 August 2027

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