Queen Leigh
David Hayes
- Sitter: Leigh Buchanan
- Medium: Acrylic on Aluminium
- Dimensions: 84cm x 100cm
- Representation: Mitchell Fine Art
- Categories: Performing arts and music industry
About the artwork
Leigh Buchanan is a Brisbane artist; designer, maker and performer for stage and screen; an ex-royalist; a recovering-Anglican and, in their own words, “an old queen”. It was precisely this layering of seemingly contradictory identities that drew artist David Hayes to paint them.
Taking the most familiar portrait of a queen, the postage stamp, Hayes replaced Queen Elizabeth with Buchanan, changing only the initials. The thistle in the corner acknowledges Buchanan’s Scottish heritage. The 4D on the original stamp proved quietly fitting for the portrait, as Buchanan has long described great costume design as pulling the viewer into a fourth dimension.
Here in tiara and pearls Buchanan is regal and proud. In an age where notions of identity more contested than ever, Hayes reflects “this artwork respectfully acknowledges perceptions of identity and celebrates visibility over historical silence.“
About the artist
David Hayes is a Brisbane-based artist working in acrylic and resin. His practice is rooted in pop culture, exploring themes of identity and the human condition through metaphor, juxtaposition and layered narrative. Influenced by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Kehinde Wiley, his work asks questions about conflict, vulnerability and belonging. He has been a finalist in the Black Swan, Blake, Mosman and Hawkesbury Art Prizes.
