Jude Rae, Inside out, 2020, oil on linen, 198.00 x 152.50 cm, TCG22400
private collection, Sydney

This artwork was a Highly Commended finalist in the 2021 Archibald Prize.

exhbition text

Last year, Jude Rae was invited to participate in the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ online Together in Art project, developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was asked to create and share an image that considered the view from her window. The construction site across the road from her studio, which dominated her response, is now 18 floors of affordable housing, featured in this self-portrait.

‘The title Inside out seemed the best description of the strange inversions of the last year,’ says Rae. ‘Is this a standard selfie? An iPhone photo of me reflected in the windowpane, inside, looking out at my neighbours’ lights? Or am I taking a photo of you looking at me, living life “on screen” as we do so often these days? 

‘Though the lockdowns and social distancing have been relatively mild in Sydney, we have all been forced to reflect on the social and personal costs of isolation. It seemed to me that the self-portrait is the most compelling expression of this inwardness but also a reminder that while we might feel singular, we are not separate. We think of ourselves alone at our peril.’