Matt Adams on John Olsen

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

Self Portrait Janus Faced by John Olsen, which won last year's Archibald Prize (left) andBrown Stain Janus Faced by Matt Adams, which won this year's Bald Archy Prize.

A satirical painting of John Olsen is the winner of this year's Bald Archy Prize.

The winning portrait is a satire on Olsen's 2005 Archibald-winning painting, Self Portrait Janus Faced.

Matt Adams, 29, of the Central Coast, won the faux-prestigious award with his portrait Brown Stain Janus Faced, showing Olsen standing pants-less holding soiled underwear.

At the award ceremony held at Sydney's Queen Victoria Building at 11.30am a spokeswoman for the award described the winning painting as a "satirical poo-take" of Olsen's work.

"It's [Adams's] take on last year's Olsen winner," said Bald Archies organiser Peter Batey.

"But he was moved by the fact that, when they announced the winner last year, both [Art Gallery of NSW Director] Edmund Capon and Olsen seemed to make much of the fact that it was a deserving winner because Olsen hadn't won way back in the 1980s.

"As a young artist, he was under the impression that the pictures would have been judged on their value, not because you didn't win one."

Batey said Olsen lost in 1980s by one vote because a "rebel trustee went against the old boy rules".

But, he said, with Olsen's win last year, the "old guard" was rewarded.

"It seems that the 'old-boy movement' is well and truly ensconced," he said.

In the picture Olsen has his pants around his ankles and is holding up a pair of underpants with a mark or stain on the front.

"It is an image that either looks like a skid mark or a smaller version of the Janus head," said Batey.

"Or, in fact, maybe the shape of a penis."