Art can be like a backdrop for a stage play - it looks real but don't look behind it. Or like the Wizard of Oz behind the theatrical curtain that hides what is real.
Any artist who has rubbed out a pencil line or reworked paint has likewise been hiding something.
An artwork’s title can also be less than forthcoming either because it's vague or it wants you to think something that isn't quite true.
So I took the opposite approach for my Archibald Prize entry which was delivered last Friday to the Art Gallery Of NSW - and pulled the throttle to ‘super honest’ with my title. It was probably the longest in Archibald history and the first to feature a sponsor.
I'll show you the complete work shortly and explain it but in the meantime here is the most honest (and longest) title for an Archibald Prize work ever (with thanks to FrameShop.com.au):
