Matt Kean, NSW Minister for Environment and Energy
“Portrait of Matt Kean Oil on Canvas 122 cm x 122
My controversial subject is responsible for an immensely challenging portfolio that must balance environmental protection, while ensuring our energy-hungry industries are supplied with sustainable base-load power. With youthful zeal and eyes on the future, Matt is an outspoken champion of renewable energy, attracting both adulation and scorn from all sides of the political spectrum. Matt is insulated by, and reflective of the zeitgeist. He is either a man for the times, or hopelessly ahead of them — only time will tell.
With his heart on fire, the flaming waratah represents both passion for his job, and the controversy that engulfed him over the Black Summer of 2020. While being a deeply committed Roman Catholic, Matt has also drawn fire for his progressive position on abortion. Fearless and nimble in his rationales, Matt treads a bruising line between passion and duty, as he searches for balance between his personal beliefs and the high expectations of his constituents.
Dressed in quicksilver that reflects the spirit of his mercurial personality, my portrait consciously vacillates between portraying my sitter as a futurist seer-saint, and a secular idolater.