Anh Do ProfileMulti-talented mirth-peddler Anh Do is teaming up with an array of variably photogenic celebrities including celebrated Aussie musicians Jimmy Barnes and Kate Ceberano to paint a series of portraits and have a laugh (and a bit of a cry) as part of new show Anh's Brush With Fame.
Set to make its debut on ABC next month, the eight-part show leverages Do's penchant for portraiture into the setting through which he will delve into the psyches of his varied guests, who will pose as Do paints and, along with Barnesy and Ceberano, include Amanda Keller, Magda Szubanski, Craig McLachlan, Anthony Mundine, Kyle Sandilands and Dr Charlie Teo.
The show is pitched as comedic, but will no doubt carry some significant emotional weight as the guests share archival material — old photos, videos, other private memorabilia — and talk about their hardships as well as their triumphs, all of which shepherds Do's portraits towards their final vision of the subjects. At the end of each episode, Do finally reveals his completed work to his guest, and hopefully they like it. We don't know — we haven't seen it yet. Feels like it would be kind of mean for the guests to not at least appreciate the effort, though.
Either way, Anh's Brush With Fame should, at the very least, prove a most enlightening series, and Do's certainly got the artistic chops to pull it off with earnestness and flair — he was, after all, named as a finalist for 2014's Archibald Prize for his renowned portrait of his father.
Anh's Brush With Fame premieres at 8pm on Wednesday 24 August, and will be available for catch-up on iview.
