The Heavyweight
Stephen Tiernan
- Sitter: Stevan Ivic
- Medium: Oil on Linen
- Dimensions: 41cm x 51cm
- Representation: This artist represents themselves
About the artwork
Current Australian heavyweight boxing champion Stevan Ivic is not just a fighter, but a Brisbane fire officer and a new father. Born in Australia and shaped by both Fijian and Serbian heritage, he is presented here not just as a triumphant athlete but as a courageous individual, carrying the physical and emotional marks of his journey.
Brisbane based artist Stephen Tiernan knows Ivic through Eastside Boxing Gym and, as a former professional fighter himself, understands there’s more to a fighter than the fight.
“The pre-fight nerve side is often harder than the fight,” he says. It is that vulnerability, not the spectacle, that Tiernan went looking for in this portrait. A small smear of blood is the only trace of the ring. The dark layered background draws all light to the face, where determination and care coexist.
About the artist
Stephen Tiernan is a Brisbane-based artist, former professional fighter and serving police officer. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts and currently completing a Master of Visual Arts at Griffith University, his expressive portraiture explores identity and fragility. He is a previous Brisbane Portrait Prize prize-winner and recently held Rogues and Vagabonds, an exhibition of frontal portraits, at the Queensland Police Museum.
