The Percivals 2026

About the Artwork

This work depicts an intimate encounter between a young man and a magpie. The man appears lost in thought; likewise, the magpie seems in quiet contemplation. They sit in the cool light of early morning in the rugged, arid landscape of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Like many young people in rural or remote areas, the young man contemplates his future. He is my nephew James. I have two sons the same age, and I think about their future and their connection to the land.

About the Artist

Sophie Hann is a self-taught artist living and working on Kaurna Land, South Australia. For a semester, Sophie studied at the New York Studio School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture on a scholarship and received a Bachelor of Art from Flinders University.

Sophie has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Nancy Fairfax Artist Residency, the Art Gallery of New South Wales Dyason Bequest, three Create SA Grants, and the Ruth Tuck Travelling Scholarship. She has also been a finalist in major national prizes, including the Lester Prize, the National Emerging Artist Prize, the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Hans Heysen Landscape Prize, the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Shirley Hannah Portrait Prize and the Alice Bale Award. Sophie has had solo exhibitions in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Perth.