Polly Borland is known for her portraits of the Queen and Jennifer Coolidge. Now her work is beautifully faceless

Australian artist Polly Borland. (Supplied: Shaughn and John.)

Australian artist Polly Borland, best known for taking celebrity portraits, has loaned her "unofficial portrait" of Queen Elizabeth II to MONA gallery owner David Walsh; on display as part of the new Namedropping exhibition in Hobart.

Set against a backdrop of blue Marimekko flowers, Borland had less than five critical minutes with Her Majesty, The Queen, Elizabeth II back in 2001, and managed to take two photos she liked the most — one that is now owned by the National Portrait Gallery of Australia; the other hangs inside her LA residence.

Borland left her home to head to MONA for an artist talk about that iconic portrait, exploring the power of name dropping and the cultural impact the monarchy had on her psyche as a young girl.

It was also the first time Borland met David Walsh, who purchased her Bunny photographs — a 2004 series with 191cm tall actor Gwendoline Christie — long before he even opened MONA in 2011. Those images are now part of the permanent collection found inside the main gallery.

"I didn't think twice to loan MONA my Queen portrait," begins Borland.

"It's the lesser-known image, and the unofficial portrait of the Queen, but I really like it because it shows a very human side," she says.

"I don't take commercial photographs anymore, so it's pretty special to have these portraits as a defining moment in my career and still being talked about."

The 64-year-old did, however, agree to put her commercial hat back on to snap Hollywood actress Jennifer Coolidge for a Harper's Bazaar Australia cover last year. It was the first time Borland had picked up the camera for a client since 2017 — when she photographed singer Nick Cave and fashion designer/wife/model Susie Cave.

"Susie rang me and asked if I would take their portraits for a British Vogue story, and the reason I said yes is because I have known them for years, Nick for 30 or so," says Borland — known for a high-gloss, rock star veneer that takes over her candid portraits.

But it's the portrait of the Queen that has given Borland a moment to reflect on colonialism and her experience as a child growing up in Melbourne in the 1950s and 60s.

"From the dentist to the doctor and school, there was always a photo of the Queen," Borland says.

"The portraits were somehow used as a PR campaign, as propaganda, and in some ways as brain-washing, and it's still ever present in Australia."

She admits that, when she got to meet the Queen, she felt very overwhelmed.

"I realised that came from growing up in an English colony with photos of her everywhere in institutions bigger than me. She felt larger than life because my childhood mind knew she was exactly that," says Borland.

"That definitely had an effect on me, and I didn't realise at the time — until I was in a room photographing the Queen."

Changing mediums

Despite all of that success, it wasn't until four decades into her photography career that Borland felt ready to make the giant leap of faith in a new artistic medium.

It was during an 18-month stint in Byron Bay during the COVID pandemic — her husband, filmmaker John Hillcoat was in Brisbane working on movies at the time — that inspired Borland to swap photography for sculptural work.

A new exhibition, We Are Family, opens in Melbourne at Sullivan + Strumpf's Collingwood gallery in July. It's the first time Borland's new sculptural works will be on show here; earth-toned, blob-like creatures that shift between evolutionary shape to surreal wonderment.

We Are Family is a nod to Borland's Melbourne roots and perhaps a subtle hat tip to the work of her late father, architect Kevin Borland, who famously made the tactile-looking Rice Houses in Eltham, and was known for his modernist architectural gaze.

"My works definitely refer to family and how these creatures came to find each other — they're an odd bunch but they're family," explains Borland.

"Working in sculptural form has revitalised my practice as an artist, and given me a new lease in my early 60s.

"I am absolutely loving it, and I can't tell you how much it has given me a whole new outlook and new phase in my life."

The figurative works appear soft and marshmallow-like, but are anything but. They're heavy sculptures that lean on abstract expressionism — appearing like internal organ folds one minute, and clay trickery the next.

"I create these creatures around the idea of a living person, but they're really brought to life very organically," says Borland of her method.

"Sometimes I pre-think things out and other times it's very organic when I come up with an idea. It's where my hands go, where the materials are. There is an inherent visual logic I work with that could end up anywhere. With photographs the practice is more defined, compared to sculptures where I am free to roam."

Some sculptures are skin-toned, others fleshy pink and visceral; it's punk rock with an element of pop excitement.

The architectural softness of her work harks back to the influences of her father, who died in 2000. Her father would take all seven of his children to work site when houses were being built.

"We were part of his process early on and we were very proud of him. He was winning award after award and it was only as we got older that we realised how amazing he was," says Borland.

"His buildings are very sculptural and when at Melbourne University, he won a competition to create the Olympic Pool. He is mainly known for his domestic houses and I definitely feel inspired by what he accomplished," she adds.

"I would probably like to move back to Melbourne one day and buy one of the homes he designed; that would be a full circle moment."

Namedropping is on from now until 21 April 2025 at Mona, Hobart. Polly Borland will also be taking part in the Hobart Art Tour 28–29 June. We Are Family is on from 4–27 July at Sullivan + Strumph in Melbourne.