Discovered through Girlfriend magazine’s 2004 model search, Samantha Harris has been charming her way across the world’s fashion platforms since she was fourteen. Even to those unfamiliar with the fashion industry, her hauntingly dark eyes and pouting, bee-stung lips are recognisable. However, the disarmingly beautiful twenty-two year old is a symbol and national icon as much because of her past as her present and potential. As an Indigenous Australian, a culture where, historically, aspiration must battle daily with stigma, Samantha stands for strength, determination and mold- breaking beauty. As a subject for Melbourne aerosol artist Adnate’s 2013 Archibald Prize entry, Samantha is perfect. Since his progression from graffiti to his unique approach to fine art portraiture, Adnate has produced several bodies of work that encapsulate and inspire discussions about cultural diversity, ethnicity, and perspective. He demonstrated a particular intrigue into the allure and spirituality of Australia’s indigenous community with his 2012 exhibition Lost Culture. To Adnate, Samantha’s representation of a neglected community that is ‘better left unseen’ and her emergence as one of Australia’s most celebrated young models marks a positive and necessary shift in the beauty paradigm. He says the painting “is not just an elegant portrait, but a powerful examination that questions what is accepted as beautiful enough to be seen.”
