A five-time Archibald Prize finalist has faced a Victorian court accused of trafficking drugs and possessing a stolen 12-gauge shotgun.
Benjamin Aitken on Monday faced Melbourne Magistrates Court charged with 15 offences including trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine, as well as possessing a stolen 12-gauge Winchester shotgun and $6915 in cash that was the proceeds of crime.
The 30-year-old painted Victorian artist Gareth Sansom for his 2021 entry to the Archibald portrait prize.
"Gareth is an artist who has informed my practice," Aitken said of his synthetic polymer paint entry on canvas in an Art Gallery of NSW profile.
"His approach to 'organised chaos' within his painting is world class."
Aitken's previous artist subjects in the Archibald have included Jon Cattapan (2016), Natasha Bieniek (2018), and Fiona Lowry (2019), as well as a self-portrait (2020).
He was also a finalist in the 2020 Sulman prize, worth $40,000, for his pastel, ink and synthetic polymer paint on wood and canvas work "Untitled 4".
Aitken's co-accused, 26-year-old Shannon McCulloch, who is facing the same drug and weapons charges before Melbourne Magistrates Court, painted him for the 2021 Archibald Prize.
The oil and acrylic on marine plywood entry - one of 52 selected finalists - portrayed a shirtless Aitken with the words "f*** life" tattooed on his stomach.
"Ben and I have become like family," McCulloch said in his Art Gallery of NSW profile.
"This portrait depicts Ben in his lounge room where he and I have sat countless times discussing everything from art, music, boxing and politics, to our personal histories, long through the night and into the morning."
McCulloch was last year also one of five young Australian painters awarded the $10,000 Brett Whiteley travelling art scholarship, which includes a two-week residency at Shark Island in NSW.
Aitken and McCulloch, both on bail following a search warrant on October 26, are expected to return to court on March 23.
In addition to trafficking cocaine and ice allegations, the pair have also been charged with possessing an unregistered handgun and ammunition without a firearms licence, as well as prescription drugs.
