Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 22 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
ABC News (AU)'s corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Discarded fingernails, sequins, a pair of high heels, a beer can, and a dismembered Barbie doll have been used to capture the likeness of Australia's most celebrated drag queen.
asserted
fingernails → discard → queen
A glittering new portrait of Courtney Act has been unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.
asserted
portrait → glitter → Canberra
The large mosaic by artist Paul Yore is an eclectic assemblage of thousands of objects, each meticulously placed with tweezers, to pay tribute to the queer icon.
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mosaic → place → icon
"I sent Paul a bag of my old fingernails and eyelashes and broken jewellery, and so I knew that it was going to be made of found objects and mixed media, but to see it hanging on the wall is absolutely amazing,"Act
asserted
it → send → wall
Courtney Act has spent more than two decades in the public eye and is an internationally celebrated drag performer, queer advocate and television personality.
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Act → spend → eye
She is the alter ego of Queensland-born Shane Janek, who never felt like he fit into masculine norms growing up.
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he → bear → norms
"Imagine beaming back to 14-year-old me, listening to the Spice Girls, wearing my platform buffalo boots to school," Act said.
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Act → imagine → school
"So when an institution like the National Portrait Gallery commissions a portrait of you, it feels very validating.
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it → commission → you
"
'Get that off my face'
Among the objects used in the portrait is an old Nokia phone — the same model used by a young Shane Janek to come out to his parents.
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phone → get → parents
There is also a statue of Aphrodite, an array of Australian iconography, and a football — something Act admits she has never played.
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she → be → iconography
Artist Paul Yore said he was initially intimidated when he was approached by the gallery to create the portrait.
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he → say → portrait
"I've obviously followed Courtney's career for decades now and idolise her as an icon as so many of us in the queer community do," he said.
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he → follow → community
The process took him about a year, and Yore said he felt a great sense of responsibility to "get it right".
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it → take → responsibility
"It was one of the most challenging things I've ever had to make,"he said.
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I → have → things
"At different times, I did hear Courtney's voice in my head being like, 'Oi, what are you doing? Why are you putting that there?
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you → hear → that
Growing up queer in a Catholic household, Yore said he took inspiration from illuminated icons — including the Virgin Mary — to make the portrait.
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he → grow → portrait
National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering described the artwork as a "monument to queer culture".
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Pickering → describe → culture
"At a distance, this is a glossy likeness of Courtney, yet up close thousands of small details tell another story, about a big life lived without apology," she said.
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she → tell → apology
The portrait is now the first artwork you see when you walk into the gallery.
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you → see → gallery
"Well, they say that you should always open with a strong number," Act said.
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Act → say → number
"I think that when people turn in, and they see this, they're just going to have a smile on their face.
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they → think → face
I'm very grateful that this portrait has been created of me and that it celebrates drag and queerness in all of its sparkle."
asserted
it → create → sparkle
The Aporia