An MLC School Family Connection at the Archibald Prize

Gemma Chua-Tran is an actor whose career took flight when she was cast as Sasha So in Netflix’s popular series Heartbreak High. She is also celebrated for her expressive fashion choices, but in the portrait is shown wearing her mother’s old MLC School uniform.

‘I first met Gemma through mutual friends around seven years ago. In 2021, she briefly studied at the National Art School when I was in my second year. Following Heartbreak High, she became a familiar face at fashion and arts events, and I asked if she would sit for me,’ says Camille Olsen-Ormandy, a Sydney artist and first-time Archibald finalist.

‘When it comes to my creative practice, I play with themes of the “character”, treating each portrait like a persona. However, since Gemma is already an actor, I wanted to separate her from the characters she plays. She chose to wear her mother’s old school uniform. Adorned with glasses and a fresh face, it was a very pared-back look compared to her bold fashionable statements online and on television.

‘The oversized, handheld silver mirror has become a symbol in my work for vanity and femininity, redefining the way mirrors have been used in the Western canon to portray women as vain.’