The Archibald Prize People's Choice Award traditionally goes to a photo-realistic work of a popular public figure (a musician, an actress) – and this year is only slightly different: the subject in question is lawyer and refugee advocate Deng Adut, who won the public's hearts after he featured in an ad for Western Sydney University that went viral. His incredible journey – from child soldier in the Sudan to refugee in Australia to a law practice in Blacktown focusing on legal aid for refugees – makes him a more compelling and worthy subject than most, and five time Archibald Prize finalist Nick Stathopoulos renders him in vivid hyperreal style.
Find out more about the Archibald Prize exhibition this year, see who won the Archibald Prize, and see it before it closes on October 8.