Kristina Kraskov's 'I'm just a suburban fashionista' takes out People's Choice Award in 2021 National Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery

The award comes with $5000 from the David Roche Foundation. This is the second award this work has won, having also taken home the 2021 Art Handler's Award, and was one of 79 photographs in this year's portrait prize exhibition, Living Memory.

The portrait, I'm just a suburban fashionista was taken inside Michelle's colourful and eclectic house, which was filled with artworks, ornaments, trinkets and curiosities. Kraskov, a documentary filmmaker, said the photo reflects her interest in unusual and obscure subjects and stories, which she often finds "in hidden places".

"My portrait of Michelle shows both the reality and wonderment of being an eclectic fashion influencer in her 60s," she said.

"I'm honoured it has resonated with the Living Memory audience, and I would like to thank my fantastic and endearing subject and now friend, Michelle, and all the people who saw something in my work and voted."

David Roche Foundation museum director Robert Reason said he was equally enamoured with Kristina's portrait.

"Michelle's house is a kind of museum to her life, and it is easy to assume that every object has a story attached to it," he said.

"The power of this photograph is in the detail, and the layers that reveal themselves with longer inspection, so I am not surprised so many people responded so positively to it."

Featuring works taken in 2020, this year's portrait prize has plenty of diversity from what turned out to be a monumental year. And a monumental year, deserves a monumental exhibition. Living Memory: National Photographic Portrait Prize has a larger than usual number included in the prize's exhibition. But even with such a large selection of photographs, more than 3000 entries meant that judges - National Portrait Gallery director Karen Quinlan, National Gallery of Australia director Nick Mitzevich, and renowned Australian photographer Bill Henson - still had a big job deciding on the finalists, and eventual prize winners.

Audiences have until January 16 to view the 2021 edition of the annual prize.

Entries for the 2022 National Photography Portrait Prize are now open and will close in late January. To enter go to portrait.gov.au.

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