Image: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia has opened 'The Captains', a new portrait series by Cherine Fahd that brings together the 12 current captains and leaders of the National Women’s Rugby League. Presented as black-and-white portraits, the work focuses on visibility, leadership, resilience and legacy, and is being shown free to the public until 10 August 2026.
The commission is the MCA’s inaugural Harvey Norman Art Commission, created to mark 20 years of the Harvey Norman Women in League initiative. The museum’s announcement positions the project as a collaboration between contemporary art and sport, with Fahd’s images shifting attention from the action and spectacle usually associated with sports media toward a more intimate encounter with the women depicted.
According to the museum’s material, the series is made up of black-and-white digital images commissioned by Harvey Norman in partnership with the MCA. The portraits include titles such as 'The Captains [Flipping]', 'The Captains [Emma’s boots]', 'The Captains [Yasmin’s Bling]' and 'The Captains [Georgia Airborne]', suggesting a close-up approach to the details and gestures that shape each sitter’s presence.
The MCA has framed the project as part of its public programming around the exhibition, with the work on display in Sydney’s The Rocks precinct at 140 George Street, accessible via the museum’s George Street entry. The exhibition is listed as free and available during museum opening hours, reflecting the institution’s public-facing emphasis for the commission.
The museum’s notice also outlines two related programmes connected to the presentation of 'The Captains'. On Sunday 9 August, from 2 to 2.30pm, the MCA will host 'Artist plus one: Cherine Fahd and NRLW Captain', described as a conversation between the artist and a special guest NRLW captain about the making of the portrait series and the captain’s experience stepping off the field and into the studio. The session is free but requires booking.
A second public activity, 'Design your own jersey!', invites visitors to create a jersey in honour of a woman they want to celebrate. The MCA says participants can submit designs for a chance to win a prize pack valued at over $4,000, thanks to Harvey Norman, and that the activity closes on Tuesday 11 August. Activity sheets can be collected at the museum or downloaded online.
'The Captains' is on display until Monday 10 August 2026. The MCA lists the exhibition as free, open to the public during museum hours, and located at Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 140 George St, The Rocks, Sydney.
