Julie Fragar wins the 2025 Archibald Prize with a portrait of her friend

Ms Frager's oil on canvas painting Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene) captures the varied ways the Brisbane artist, who works with video, photography, sculpture and performance, expresses her craft.

Ms Frager said it shows the "wild way" Williams uses different materials, showing the "multiverse of characters and events that confront the relentless weirdness we go through en route to the other side".

"There is nobody like Justene. She thinks big and makes bigger, deploying everything from car bodies to opera singers to make work as fearless and feeling as she is," Ms Fragar said.

She said the title of the artwork comes from a the title of a recent performance by Ms Williams titled Making do rhymes with poo, about the labour of "getting by" through different roles women need to play.

"In the lower left of the painting, you can see Justene's daughter Honore looking up at her mum half in awe and half asking if this is what she will have to manage too."

Ms Frager takes home a $100,000 prize, along with the much more valuable title of winner.

The 2025 packing room prize was awarded to Abdul Abdullah's oil on linen portrait of Jason Phu titled No mountain high enough.

Mr Abdullah painted his best friend Phu who requested to be surrounded by animals.

The $3000 packing room prize is judged by Art Gallery of NSW staff who receive, unpack and hang the artworks.

The Art Gallery of NSW hosts an exhibition of the works before it tours regional art galleries.