Noosa Art Prize 2026 Finalist · No. 62
Nara Walker
Hera (A self-portrait with Hera and Zeus)
- Medium
- Oil on polyester canvas
- Size
- 180 × 198 cm
- Artist based in
- Sunshine Coast, QLD
Price includes GST.
People's Choice Award
Voting opens at the exhibition launch on Thursday 8 October. Scan the code on the label at The J, or come back to this page to vote.
About the work
My palm presses into the surface of the canvas; my palm presses back in time…
Drawing on oral storytelling around the fire, the red flames invite a physical encounter between the viewer, the myth, and the artist. Painted in 2024, this work was exhibited for ‘Logos’ at Hazelhurst Arts Centre, a major group exhibition exploring Greek culture and identity in Australian art across six decades.
Can you see the scratches in the paint? The smeared oil across the canvas?
I intuitively painted ‘Hera (A self-portrait with Hera and Zeus)’ directly on the canvas with my hands. (Yes, I wore latex gloves). Themes that carry throughout my work include symbolism, archetypes, and mythology. Swaying through the layers of time, the large-scale gestures in this work are a remembering, a story of my lineage that was unknown to me until five years ago as my mum was adopted.
Follow Nara Walker
Collection and delivery
This work is on show at The J, Noosa, until the exhibition closes on 29 October. Works bought during the exhibition stay on the wall until then, and we'll be in touch after purchase to arrange collection or delivery.
Questions about this work? Email info@thenongallery.com.au.
Choose options
More Noosa Art Prize 2026 finalists
