NPG art handlers have picked a favourite from the 2023 National Photographic Portrait Prize, and it's stunning

Before the winners of the upcoming 2023 National Photographic Portrait Prize (NPPP) are announced and the doors to the public exhibition open comes the weighty job of hanging the photographs.

Judges select 47 finalists from more than 2300 entries for the NPPP, and each must be carefully and thoughtfully displayed by the National Portrait Gallery’s art handlers.

This gives the handlers an intimate look at the works and puts them in a unique position to award the coveted Art Handler’s Award.

For this great honour, handlers Jessica Kemister and Jacob Potter have selected David Cossini’s Ugandan Ssebabi 2022.

Set in the slums of Kyazanga, Uganda, it’s a portrait of Ugandan man Godfrey Baguma, which the artist describes as “a photographic tribute to the world’s greatest underdog”.

“Godfrey Baguma, who was born with a rare and painful physical disability, was abandoned by his mother as a bringer of ‘bad luck’ and shunned by society,” Cossini explains.

“Through a chance encounter, he reinvented himself as an entertainer in a travelling show.

“Now 57, he has beaten the odds. While most people with his condition die by 40, he has found love, success and bought a house – a testament to human resilience and positivity.”

The stunning photograph depicts the subject in a bright red suit against vivid pink and orange backdrops, a crutch in one hand and a makeshift turquoise leash for his turkey in the other.

It’s bright, bold and joyful – precisely why it was Jessica and Jacob’s pick.

“We found the image of Godfrey and the turkey so engaging and it immediately made us want to dive deeper into the story of the work,” they said.

“We enjoyed reading David Cossini’s words about Godfrey Baguma and learning about his life’s journey so far.

“This is a confident work of art: there is assurance in the composition, in the figures of Godfrey and the turkey and the joyful palette of colours. Cossini’s composition cleverly positions Godfrey’s figure against the billowing sheets of coloured fabric in the background in tones of pinks and reds, echoing this visual likeness in the red wattle and legs of the turkey with Godfrey’s suit.

“A single turquoise string creates a connection between the figures both visually and in reality. The colours, scale and visual contrast in the work really appealed to us.”

Along with the honour of the title, David wins a $2000 prize courtesy of IAs Fine Art Logistics.

The announcement of the Art Handlers awardee comes ahead of the 2023 NPPP winner announcement by National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering this Friday (16 June).

She said the NPPP was a beloved and important national prize that “supports the Australian photographic community and enlarges our collective experience of the Australian people, from the well-known and celebrated to local heroes and identities”.

“I am very excited to announce the 2023 winners and to unveil the many rich and varied examples of portraiture that the exhibition presents each year.”

The 2023 NPPP winner will take home up to $50,000 in prizes: $30,000 cash from the National Portrait Gallery and $20,000 worth of Canon equipment thanks to Imaging Partner Canon Australia. Other prizes include the Highly Commended, which is supported by EIZO. Audiences will also be able to vote for their favourite in the People’s Choice Award.

View the 2023 Art Handler’s Award-winning piece Ugandan Ssebabi 2022 at the 2023 National Photographic Portrait Prize, which opens to the public on Saturday, 17 June, at the National Portrait Gallery on King Edward Terrace, Parkes.

Admission costs $15 for adults, $12 for concession, $10 for Circle of Friends members and under 18s are free. Book here.