Face to Face: Embracing Portraiture

Described as a cultural mirror, portraits are where art, biography, history and identity collide. During its history the University of Adelaide has collected portraits of our leaders and great thinkers to adorn our walls. Moved from hallowed spaces into the gallery "Face to Face: Embracing Portraiture" offers a rare opportunity to see up-close these artworks by esteemed Australian and international artists.

Painted portraits have often come to be associated with status and power. What relevance might they have today and what role do portraits play at the University? Within "Face to Face", a mirror is held up to our past and an opportunity is presented to consider the future together. Alongside these artworks, contemporary research about the human face is revealed and can also see what it feels like to put themselves in the frame. As the centrepiece of the exhibition, visitors can witness the presentation of our first commissioned portrait of an Indigenous leader, Kaurna Elder Uncle Rodney O'Brien.