The three narrative arcs of the series – Rachel’s hunt for her all-time Archie, Natalie’s search for 100 Archibalds and the portrait of Rachel being entered into the 2021 prize – climax at the end of episode three in a poignant display of emotion and passion.
But first, Rachel is still trying to find one portrait that says something important about our identity.
She meets Abdul Abdullah, a seventh-generation Australian-Muslim who was forced to choose between his country and his faith in the wake of 9/11. She visits the Great Synagogue to eyeball the first rabbi to win as a sitter and she hears the pain of Deng Adut, a child-soldier-turned-refugee-lawyer whose migrant experience in 21st century Australia is sobering.
Then there’s John Howard, the 1979 portrait of the former PM is a gem few have seen, and Guy Warren, a former winner who was born in the same year as the prize: 1921. But there’s a small clutch of portraits that keep calling Rachel back: they are not just spectacular artworks, or of famous Australians – but are paintings that say something profound about who we were, and who we are.
And then there’s the 2021 portrait of Rachel by Natasha Bieniek, and Rachel arrives at her studio to see the finished product. Both the artist and the sitter are understandably nervous… Will Rachel love or loathe it? Will it be selected for the 2021 exhibition? Could it even win the prize?
Natalie, meanwhile, is putting the finishing touches to her themed Archie 100 exhibition, and we have exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the judges as they vote on the 2021 finalists and the winner, and Rachel readies herself for her big reveal…
It’s the biggest day in 100 years – the opening of the Archie 100 centenary exhibition, the announcement of the 2021 winner of the prize and Rachel’s moment of truth.
As she stands before an A-list cast of colleagues, she unveils the one portrait she believes will stand the test of time and that best represents the changing identity of Australia! She has finally found her Archibald.
Production credits: A Mint Pictures production in association with Magdalene Media. Principal production investment from Screen Australia and the ABC. In association with Screen NSW and Film Victoria. Series Director Ariel White. Series Producer Dan Goldberg. Executive Producers Adam Kay and Rachel Griffiths. ABC Manager Factual Julia Hanna. ABC Managing Editor, Factual Richard Huddleston. Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
