Best of Bald Archy Prize at Peppin Heritage Centre

Before there was social media satire, there was the Bald Archy.

Back in 2004, the Peppin Heritage Centre Gallery in Deniliquin struck up a working relationship with Peter Batey OAM, founder and curator of the famously irreverent Bald Archy Prize — the national portrait prize judged by his pet sulphur‑crested cockatoo, Professor Maude.

They’re taking a joyful stroll down memory lane with Best of Bald Archy — a rare chance to see 30 years of Bald Archy first-place winners together in one exhibition. This is not the annual prize show, but a sharp-eyed retrospective celebrating three decades of wit, parody and fearless satire.

The Bald Archy Prize continues to champion that unmistakable larrikin Australian spirit, cutting across politics, celebrity and culture in a way that speaks to everyone.