Heatherleys tutor, Sarah Jane Moon, has been selected for this year’s BP Portrait Award with her painting ‘Dr Ronx’.
Sarah Jane says
‘My initial sitting with Dr Ronx took place in my Brixton studio and involved a number of different outfits. Ronx is known for their very particular contemporary style – they have a penchant for suits and Nike Air Max 95s– and androgynous look, which is one of the many reasons I wanted to paint them. As an artist who identifies as female and queer my work typically explores identity, sexuality and gender presentation as well as interrogating formal painterly concerns within the framework of portraiture and figurative painting. Ronx and I have been friends for a number of years and are both vocal and proud representatives of London’s LGBTQI community and advocates for diversity. They describe themself as a queer, black, androgynous intersectional feminist.
In the years I’ve known Ronx, I’ve admired their dedication as an Emergency Medicine Doctor as well as their commitment to presenting a positive role model for young people, especially BAME youth and those from the LGBTQI community. Ronx worked incredibly hard to self-fund their medical studies and their personal motto is ‘You cannot be what you do not see’. They use their unique story to motivate and inspire young people from similar backgrounds.Ronx’s energy and enthusiasm for people is contagious, so it wasn’t a surprise to any of their friends they were asked to use their charisma and positivity to reach an even broader (and younger) audience as a presenter on CBBC’s ‘Operation Ouch!’.
Amongst our friends and community Dr Ronx is loved, respected and admired greatly. I like to think that we share something in common, given my own commitment to representation and visibility for young LGBTQI people; it’s something we both place a great deal of importance on. ‘
BP Portrait Award
13 June to 20 October 2019
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE