Melbourne street artist Matt Adnate has won the Packing Room Prize for his portrait of Yolngu rapper Baker Boy.

Adnate is a second-time finalist in the Archibald, having been in the running last year with his portrait of Silverchair's Daniel Johns.

Speaking to ABC Arts, Adnate said that Baker Boy is "a musician that I've watched grow, since he was a teenager. When I first saw him, he was an amazing dancer out in community, and I've seen him evolve into the award-winning artist that he is now".

"Communicating the power and passion into music is something I wanted to try and emulate in the painting."

Adnate and Baker Boy have known each other for more than a decade, and have worked together before: with Adnate painting the musician on murals, and Baker Boy performing at the artist's events. Adnate even designed the cover art for the musician's debut album Gela (2021), which earned Adnate an ARIA Award for best cover art.

"Knowing Baker Boy quite personally adds an extra layer of the connection in the painting and hopefully I'm able to communicate a bit more of his soul and his awesome energy in the work," says Adnate.

Growing up listening to hip hop and working with graffiti, the artist incorporated spray paint into his Archibald portrait. It actually uses a mix of spray paint and synthetic polymer paint — a style he is known for using in his murals, which can be seen all over the world, including in Los Angeles, Asia and Europe.

Adnate's portrait of Baker Boy features an abstract reflection of Arnhem Land, where the musician grew up. "That's something that I wanted to really reflect in his eyes," says Adnate. 

"The classic thing is the eyes are the gateway to the soul and I know for him he feels very strong in his connection to his homeland."

The announcement was made this morning at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), where the 57 finalists for this year's Archibald Prize were unveiled, selected from a pool of 1,005 entries.

This year's finalists include portraits of Hollywood stars Jacob Elordi and Anthony LaPaglia, publisher and activist Julian Assange, author Tim Winton, The Wiggles' Anthony Field, Matilda Cortnee Vine, and three of the cast of Netflix's much-loved Heartbreak High reboot.

• Jump to the full list of Archibald finalists

What is the Packing Room Prize?

The Packing Room Prize is a wildcard category of the Archibald Prize, introduced in 1991, awarded annually by the gallery staff who handle the portraits in AGNSW's packing room.

Past winners of the prize have included portraits of the late Cal Wilson, Taika Waititi and Jimmy Barnes. In three decades, no artist has won both the Packing Room Prize and the Archibald.

The judges of the Packing Room Prize, Timothy Dale, Monica Rudhar and Alexis Wildman, said they were drawn to Adnate's portrait for its "nod to street art".

"He was really able to capture Baker Boy's power through [his] gaze and really encapsulate the colour and spirit Baker Boy brings to the Australian music scene," said Wildman.

Rudhar adds: "A lot of Baker Boy's work is very passionate, it's robust storytelling and, for me, [the portrait] gives me a lot of hope in the eyes and [a sense of] looking into the future through his politics and bringing First Nations stories to the fore."

Who are the finalists?

This year's cohort includes 25 first-time finalists and 32 former finalists. Former Archibald winner Guido Maestri, who won in 2009 for his portrait of Indigenous singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, is also in the mix this year with a self-portrait.

For the second year in a row, there are more women finalists than men — albeit only by one. (Last year marked the first time in more than a century that the Archibald clocked a higher number of women finalists than men.)

There are four Aboriginal artists represented this year — Mia Boe, Robert Fielding, Thea Anama Perkins and Adrian Jangala Robertson — which brings the total number of Indigenous artists to have become Archibald finalists since the prize's inception to 31. To date, no Torres Strait Islander artists have been selected.

The selection process for the illustrious portrait prize is one of its charms. The finalists are chosen by a board of 11 trustees from the gallery, including artists Tony Albert and Caroline Rothwell, who adopt a "democratic" judging process: They view each work without the context of the artist's name or portrait title.

The sitters

As is custom, the sitters depicted in the 57 finalist portraits are a mixed bag of prominent and little-known figures. Artists are free to paint anyone they like, although it's commonly misconceived that sitters need to be famous. (There is a preference for a person "distinguished in art, letters, science or politics".)

Among the more recognisable sitters this year are Missy Higgins, painted by her sister Nicola Higgins; Baker Boy, painted by Matt Adnate; activist Chanel Contos, painted by Eliza Bertwistle; and ABC's Tony Armstrong, painted by Mia Boe. In fact, there are five current or former ABC personalities this year: Four Corners reporter Louise Milligan, ABC Classic's Ed Le Brocq, comedian and broadcaster Sami Shah, and film critic David Stratton.

Saltburn star and certified heart-throb Jacob Elordi has also made the cut, though you may not immediately recognise him. The 26-year-old actor has been painted by enigmatic contemporary artist Caroline Zilinsky, who was previously a finalist in 2022 for her portrait of The Block contestants, Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie.

There are typically a number of portraits depicting fellow artists — 16 this year, including five self-portraits — but it's the representation of screen actors that stands out this year. Veteran actor Anthony LaPaglia and Jasper Jones star Aaron L. McGrath are among the seven screen actors who will be featured on the walls of the gallery.

But one show reigns supreme this year. Three actors from Netflix's hit reboot of Heartbreak High are in the final list: Will McDonald (painted by Kris Andrew Small), Chloé Hayden (painted by Jessie Bourke) and Josh Heuston (painted by Kelly Maree).

Of the 60 people depicted across the 57 portraits, 10 are Indigenous Australians; eight are people of colour; and nine are members of the LGBTQI+ community, including queer fashion designers Jordan Gogos, Akira Isogawa and duo Katie-Louise and Lilian Nicol-Ford — who all featured in Australian Fashion Week earlier this month.

A number of people working in the arts are also among the sitters, including Australian Ballet principal artist Callum Linnane; curators Hetti Perkins and Isobel Parker Philip; musicians Beckah Amani and Jaguar Jonze; director Trevor Graham; producer Darren Dale dancer and choreographer Amrita Hepi; author Germaine Greer; and filmmaking duo Soda Jerk.

As for the lesser-known subjects,10-time finalist Tsering Hannaford has painted a subtle portrait of her father Robert Hannaford, while Robert Fielding has painted senior Pitjantjatjara woman and chairwoman of South Australia's Mimili Maku Arts, Tuppy Ngintja Goodwin. The latter has been painted with a mix of polymer paint and ash and incorporates packing tape.

The Wynne and Sulman prizes

Today's announcement also includes finalists for the $50,000 Wynne and $40,000 Sulman prize categories, for landscape and genre painting respectively.