Ben Apfelbaum

ARCHIBALD PACKING ROOM PRIZE WINNER CLAUS STANGL

Brett Cuthbertson, Retiring Head Packer
Claus Stangl, Packing Room Prize Winner
Brett Cuthbertson, Claus Stangl. Michael Brand
The Archibald Prize Packing Room media scrum

Congratulations to Claus Stangl, who has won the Packing Room Prize 2022 for his portrait of director, writer, actor and producer Taika Waititi.

Stangl’s painting is one of 52 finalist works from 816 entries received for the Archibald Prize 2022.

This is the second time Stangl has been an Archibald finalist.

To see this work on display alongside the rest of our finalists, book your ticket to the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2022 exhibition today!

http://www.ag.nsw.gov.au

Featured image : Retiring Head Packer Brett Cuthbertson. All pics by Ben Apfelbaum

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.