HALT
Esther Erlich
HALT [detail] 2025
Self-portrait
Acylic paint and medium on canvas
122 x 122 cm
About the Artwork
I place myself at the centre of a target—not by choice but by truth. The work is a response to a world where identity is politicised and presence is perceived as provocation.
This portrait is not an invitation but a boundary… It is me saying, “I see the aim and I stand here.”
About the Artist
Painting faces is Victoria-based artist Esther Erlich’s passion, whether they be actual or conjured subjects. Exhibiting her work since 1983, she has had 51 solo exhibitions and participated in 72 group shows.
Esther has been shortlisted four times for the Archibald Prize, and has won the Archibald People’s Choice Award, as well as the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. She has also been a finalist in the Darling Portrait Prize, Portia Geach Award, Dobell Prize, Sunshine Coast Art Prize and Woollahra Sculpture Award, to name a few.