Painting of Kym Ellery makes Moran finals

Australia and the world's richest art prize, the Moran Portrait Prize has selected the 30 finalists for the 2019 prize. Dagmar Cyrulla's painting titled 'Kym' of Paris based fashion designer, Kym Ellery has made the cut.

Artist statement:

Kym Ellery grew up in Karratha, WA. Part Maori and English she was inspired by her artistic mother to move to Sydney. With nothing but ambition and courage, she conceived ELLERY the fashion label that has taken her to the Runway of Paris. Now living in Paris, her work is sought after by artists such as Rihanna and Cate Blanchett. The first time we met Kym was jet-lagged but still showed enthusiasm for the sitting. She wore no makeup and looked magnificent. We spent two hours together - it was like speed dating as I got to know her. What most attracted me to Kym was her ability to show strength and courage in the male dominated and ultra-competitive world of fashion design, whilst still retaining her femininity and grace. Kym is an inspiration for all women. As she says, “Woman today have so many expectations placed on them, I want to empower woman”.