Blak Douglas
The First Nations artist had been working for almost three decades when he won the 2022 Archibald Prize for his painting of fellow artist Karla Dickens. Here’s what else is keeping him occupied.
The book I’ve been reading
Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson. His genius is that he places the whole of humankind into just four categories based on the colours red, yellow, green and blue. I enjoyed it mostly because I’ve always advocated that it doesn’t matter where you come from, idiots are present in every walk of life.
The TV show I’m watching
Vikings. It’s based on Norse legends and history. During COVID last year, I watched every Nordic noir that could be watched, mostly TV dramas where there’s dark stuff going on in the plot. I like watching Nordic shows during winter because, with all the snow and ice, it reminds me that we actually aren’t that cold here in Sydney.
The podcast I’m listening to
I regularly listen to Stuff You Should Know. While I enjoy a lot of the episodes, I reckon the one on “How champagne works” is pretty apt for me at the moment!
The app I enjoy the most
Instagram. I love watching clips of baby goats – I can’t get enough of them – and any video involving dogs or cats. At the moment I’m quite attracted to small spaces and what you can do with smaller homes so I’ve been following this account called Container House Plans – architectural designer Warren Thatcher makes these houses from scratch. For the past 15 years, I’ve lived in a studio apartment in Redfern and I’ve realised the benefits of having a smaller carbon footprint. I’m interested in building a container house on a property.
The artwork that recently inspired me
I know this will seem like a bit of a cliché or too predictable but it’s true. I attended my Archibald subject, artist Karla Dickens’, opening the other night – she’s a good friend, we talk every other day on the phone and have known each other for years – and I have to say, her work is just phenomenal. What she does with mixed media is every craftsperson’s dream.