'So beautiful': Courtney is a class act in the National Portrait Gallery

"Wow ... Oh wow ... Oh WOW!"

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

or signup to continue reading

Teetering on sky-high leopard-print heels, Courtney Act edged closer and then a little bit closer and then even more closer to a portrait of herself unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra on Friday.

It was the first time she had seen the stunning, glittering mosaic by Paul Yore, with the unveiling carried out with a touch of her requisite showbiz flair.

"It's so beautiful. This is not what I was expecting, in the most wonderful way," she said, both shocked and delighted.

"There's so much to look at."

The work was painstakingly created by Yore over a year, using thousands of found objects.

Courtney Act with the work In Between, the stunning piece unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery on Friday. Picture by Keegan Carroll

It reflects the journey of a young boy called Shane Jenek who felt out of place growing up in Brisbane but went on to create a drag persona called Courtney Act, who helped him to find his authentic self, while also attracting a legion of fans from around the world.

Courtney said she couldn't help but think back to a 14-year-old Shane listening to the Spice Girls in the mid-1990s and "wondering if there was a place for me in the world".

"So when an institution like the National Portrait Gallery commissions a portrait of you, it feels very validating. It's very legitimising," she said.

"Obviously as an individual, but certainly as a queer person, to know in 2026 that this portrait is hanging on the walls of a national institution is like really, really cool."

The stunning mosaic is made from thousands of found objects. Picture by Keegan Carroll

Yore's exquisite piece recreates Courtney's beautiful face with objects including her discarded fake fingernails and eyelashes to sequins from her dress to a replica of the Nokia phone she used to text her parents to tell them "I am gay". It also features the odd talisman or two of stereotypical masculinity, including a XXXX beer can and Sherrin football.

Based in Gippsland, Victoria, Yore said he created the intricate work with the help of "a lot of caffeine and techno and shouting and swearing".

Each item was delicately placed with tweezers, which he described as "like making a giant piece of jewellery".

"At different times, I did hear Courtney's voice in my head being like, 'Oi! What are you doing? Why are you putting that there? Get that off my face'," he said, with a laugh.

Courtney gets closer to the portait which is made of thousands of found articles. Picture by Keegan Carroll

The performer Courtney Act was created by Shane Jenek when he moved to Sydney at the age of 18. She burst onto the national scene as a contestant on the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. She has since appeared in RuPaul's Drag Race and was the winner of Celebrity Big Brother in the UK.

She is now a mainstay of the entertainment world, co-hosting the Australian broadcast of Eurovision and also getting closer to releasing her next project, a work of romantic fiction.

However, the focus on Friday was firmly on soaking up the artwork.

"I look at it and I see myself reflected back but then also as I get closer, I see all these tiny little pieces that are comments on my past, my childhood, my present, who I am," she said.

National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering and artist Paul Yore at the unveiling. Picture by Keegan Carroll

National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering said Courtney Act was a star and that Paul Yore had created a fitting tribute to her.

"In this work, In Between, named for one of Courtney's songs, their lives collide," she said.

"Paul is present, Shane is present but this is unmistakably Courtney Act, shimmering in all her glamour.

"This is a portrait but also a monument to queer culture and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome it into the National Portrait Collection."

Courtney Act at the unveiling of In Between at the National Portrait Gallery on Friday. Picture by Keegan Carroll

The portrait of Courtney Act is on show to the public from Saturday, October 24.

More from Entertainment