Artist Loribelle Spirovski has emerged as the winner of the 2025 Archibald prize people’s choice category with her finger-painted portrait of didgeridoo player and composer William Barton. This unique piece of art, depicted solely with Spirovski’s fingers, clinched the $5,000 award, drawing an all-time high of 40,842 votes from the public.
Spirovski, who has been a four-time finalist for the prestigious Archibald prize, expressed her joy over the win. She credited Barton for giving her the opportunity to capture his essence and felt humbled by the public’s positive reception.
William Barton, known as a Kalkadunga man and a virtuoso in the yidaki, has shared his aim to blend the world’s oldest culture with Europe’s rich musical heritage. Spirovski and Barton met when they both performed at a concert, leading to the creation of the award-winning portrait.
Spirovski’s journey with painting took a turn when she decided to enlist her fingers to portray Barton, inspired by his music and propelled by a nerve injury that had hindered her ability to use brushes. She found the painting process almost painless and felt a renewed vigor through the unique medium.
Born in the Philippines to Filipino and Serbian parents, the majority of Spirovski’s art skills are self-taught. She has previously been an Archibald finalist in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales hosts the Archibald each year and congratulated Spirovski for her success with her portrait of William Barton.
Meanwhile, the $100,000 Archibald prize was awarded to Julie Fragar for her portrait of fellow artist Justene Williams. Other awards within the exhibition include the $3,000 packing room prize won by Abdul Abdullah for his portrait of Jason Phu and prizes in landscape painting and sculpture, going to Jude Rae, and genre painting to Gene A’Hern.
The finalists from this year’s prizes will be showcased at the AGNSW until August 17, followed by a tour to several locations across Australia later in the year and into 2026. This year marks a significant milestone with over 70% of the finalists in the Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman prizes being female artists.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/jul/31/loribelle-spirovski-winner-archibald-prize-2025-peoples-choice-award-portrait-william-barton
