Arabic version: تكريم آندي غريفيثس في المعرض الوطني للصور الشخصية

According to ABC News, children’s author Andy Griffiths has been immortalised in a new portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The 4-metre-high 3D-printed sculpture, titled Andy Andy, was created by artist Ronnie van Hout and depicts Griffiths perched in a tree branch, observing almost infinite versions of himself.

The work reflects the author’s view that his “inner kid” continues to shape his writing. Griffiths said that when he picked up a pen, the child inside him would emerge and lead him to write “funny, weird, strange stuff”, rather than serious literary adult fiction.

Griffiths and van Hout had not met before the project, but share an interest in punk music and absurdist humour. Van Hout said the work made him consider their connected imagery, histories and influences, and “what creates you as a person”.

Displayed alongside the sculpture is Brainstorm, another work by van Hout featuring 130 objects, books and music from Griffiths’ writing room. Griffiths said his writing has a “kooky frequency” that readers may recognise, and said the display offers children and adults a world of alternative thinking, music and art.

The unveiling came days after the death of Terry Denton, Griffiths’ illustrator and creative collaborator of nearly 30 years. Griffiths said they were “enablers of each other” and that Denton’s spirit remains in the books they made together. Andy Andy and Brainstorm will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery until mid-2027.