Visual Arts Showcase 2023
These works represent a broad range of subject matter, approaches, styles and media including painting, photomedia, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, graphic design, documented forms, textiles and fibre, ceramics, time-based forms and collections of works.
Chelsea Hughes
Title: Dirty Fashion
Statement: My work is about the overuse of materials in the fashion industry that ultimately results in large amounts of waste and pollution. This is an important message to understand as Australians are dumping tons of clothing and fabric waste into landfill. However art can inspire positive change in the world and influence people to make a difference, which is what my work attempts to do.
Jorja White
Title: Journey of Existence
Statement: The concept behind my Body of Work is the idea of family and how losing a loved one can affect a person. My work takes you on a journey, almost like the stages of grief but to remember all the good memories a person shared with their loved one. The music symbolises the importance of connection between memories and the physical presence of loved ones.
Isabelle Ellis
Title: Phoenix
Statement: My work embodies the essence of the duality of life and death, destruction through fire and regeneration through seeding. I have employed dyed paper as my chosen medium to evoke a sense of organic growth and transformation. In each meticulously crafted piece, I recreate the scorched landscapes left in the wake of the bushfires, using a medley of earthy, dark hues to symbolise the destruction and loss. Layers of dyed paper form the foundation, each layer representing a chapter in the unfolding story of devastation.
Kasia Samborski
Title: Ephemeral Stars
Statement: My Body of Work deals with memories and loss, and the way in which I have dealt with the loss of a close friend. Along with the image of my friend, the other people are celebrities that have passed in a similar fashion. Memories fade over time just like the charcoal and pastel as it smudges off in your hands. The purpose of this work is also to reflect on their short yet irreplaceable existence; they are Ephemeral stars.
Fallon Smith
Title: Man Made
Statement: My work communicates how a group of girls can influence an individual going through adolescence. The women I have painted surround the audience with their intense eyes, plastic distortions of the lips, exaggerated dark eyelashes and deathly sharp nails. I have become a product of my own environment by the intense pressure others make me feel; like I need to dramatise these features and strip away my inner child and natural beauty.
Ruby Cummins
Title: Tide Together
Statement: My Body of Work explores the nature of friendships as they ebb and flow much like the tide. Working with both film and digital photography, I recorded numerous get togethers with friends while hanging around at the beach and creek. I experimented with cyanotype printing and integrating other materials such as thread into my images.
Lily Darby
Title: Mixed Emotions - the year that was …
Statement: My Body of Work is a series of digital photographs which explores the emotions. I have traversed during my time at school. For me, school isn’t a place where I feel free to be myself and express my emotions and feelings, instead it is a place where I hide behind a mask. My intention in this work was to express these feelings and convey the vast array of emotions that have all been part of the year that was.
Emma Farrelly
Title: Sub Species; Youth
Statement: Since childhood, I‘ve harboured an unwavering affection for rock pools and an attraction to what lies beneath. The urge to eagerly leap from rugged rocks, feel an exhilarating splash and then the pounding of waves, excites me. Wandering and fossicking on low tide holds equal interest and intrigue. Each time I’m drawn to the ocean and venture into the rock pools, I hear echoes of my mother's cautionary "tread cautiously". Now as I’m older, I appreciate her concerns; but it’s up to me to tread my own path and discover what lies beneath.
Sasha Hendrikse
Title: Fragile
Statement: Fragile explores the delicate and transient nature of life in all its forms. Ecosystems, species and individual organisms within our world, are all inherently vulnerable and temporary in nature. It is this impermanence that interests me. Through my Body of Work, I aim to prompt viewers to reconsider the way they view their own fragility and inevitable death, ultimately an essential part of life's beauty; allowing them to understand the importance of embracing their own place in the web.
Jessica Potter
Title: 8.9837 degrees S 125.2203 degrees E
Statement: 8.9837 degrees S 125.2203 degrees E reflects the appreciation and admiration of the service of my father throughout his journey in the Armed Forces. The interconnected ideas of the journey through the city of Malania and the incredible undeniable impact on many people is evident. The use of individually manipulated solar etching are intertwined with painting styles similar to Paul Cezanne, Anh do and Imants Tillers to create a complex artwork intertwined with meaning and honour.
Yasmin Murphy
Title: I See You Watching Me
Statement: In between moments - the moments that have never been given any real significance. Humans, naturally, draw their attention to the extreme emotions of joy, despair… never just in the middle. We may observe one another, but do we ever truly understand what it is we are feeling?
Lily Hallawell
Title: All the Things I Never Told You
Statement: Letters were sent inviting people to disclose a story they have never had an opportunity to tell. Three responded. Before walking through these strangers’ doors, I knew only their name. Walking out, I knew the most personal and private aspects of their lives. Their stories have been a part of mine ever since.
Charlotte Wall
Title: Little White Lies
Statement: Little White Lies delves into my connection with my Aboriginal heritage as a Kamilaroi woman and the experiences of my late Great Grandmother who was a part of the Stolen Generation. It was my motivation to represent her culture in my pieces and how it inspires me, and my family now.
Jada Volpato
Title: Casa
Statement: My Body of Work revolves around the house where my dad grew up and all his extended relatives who migrated to Australia in the 1950s - expressing a true representation of an authentic Italian-Australian household and its importance to me. I had taken a great interest in the history and aesthetic aspects of the home, which inspired my Body of Work. I have incorporated multiple media forms into my piece, including ceramics, lino prints and photography which accurately showcase my heritage.
Marnie Morton
Title: Insomnia-Theatre Inside my Hea
Statement: Insomnia stone-walls the dreamer and prohibits their ability to explore the worlds beyond, but the sheet allows the dreamer to strangle insomnia, and escape into the re-imagined. My work explores the subjective experiences of insomnia as a child to a teenager today, and how it influences one's dream state.
Tia Jegen
Title: The Return
Statement: My work explores the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster where harmful amounts of radiation left the city desolated. Depicting the trails of human existence left behind, seen through the ghostly buildings and abandoned chairs, I contrasted the free-flowing green threads to symbolise the replenishment of nature which has now reclaimed those spaces. Despite being 40 years ago, Chernobyl resurfaced in the media when Russia invaded Ukraine and took control of the abandoned city.
Emily Irvin
Title: Somnium Mortis
Statement: In the depths of sorrow and the silence of suffering, I found the courage to explore the complexities of grief, desperation, death, and the haunting spectre of cancer in my artwork. I seek to confront the emotions that surround these profound human experiences, offering a visual pilgrimage through the realms of darkness and light.
Ella Shield
Title: The Presence in your Absence
Statement: My Body of Work is a personal collection of fleeting memories that preserve the essence of what was loved and now lost. My series captures my personal memories as part of a non-linear journey of grief, transcending the confines of time and place. In each piece I aimed to infuse a sense of optimism, demonstrating that the loss of my loved ones is merely physical, as their presence resides in the familiar spaces and objects of my life. My Body of Work utilises the interplay of lighting and symbolism to articulate the journey of finding my family’s presence even in their absence.
Noah Stevens
Title: La Palma
Statement: "La Palma" is a vibrant testament to my journey through the sun-soaked allure of Palm Springs. Channelling the infectious energy of the locale, each piece exudes a vivid colour palette and a dynamic interplay between nature and luxury architecture. Inspired by the works of David Hockney, I've reflected his work into my visual narrative. Capturing the fusion of organic palm aesthetics with the sleek lines of opulent design, reflecting my passion for Architecture, inviting viewers to experience the opulent synergy of art and environment.
Valentina Muccillo
Title: Feminine Reverie
Statement: My artwork is about being lost in a world of feminine beauty. It represents a woman's state of being when she is in love. At times, thoughts can be lost and taken away into another world where one can participate in dancing or being swept off their feet by a handsome prince, romantically led around the dance floor.
Violet Martinez
Title: Forestlake
Statement: My Body of Work is a series of paintings mirroring the style of comic book covers to instil a sense of discovery and an uncanniness through the portrayal of the focalised characters. Each piece reveals an aspect of the world previously undiscovered by the viewer, thus gradually expanding the narrative they might choose to perceive. I have purposefully kept the visuals and background vague to position the viewer to build up whatever story best suits them.
Maggie Clarke
Title: Hidden Within
Statement: This work represents my inner fear of the world around me and the uncertainty it holds. I feel protected by the warmth of the feathers that are wrapped around me just like those of an adult bird looking after its chick. The monochromatic grey symbolises negative connotations and thoughts, particularly those related to fear and depression.
Mitchell McCracken
Title: Chris & Max
Statement: My Body of Work demonstrates my strengths of realism and free-hand drawing. I have chosen people as my subjects because I am inspired by their humility, confidence and obvious physique. These people represent the current world champion in bodybuilding, and a personal favourite who is completely natural and has not taken steroids. These pieces depict masculinity and humility in a sculpture-like style as if they are Greek Gods.
Mikayla Alexander
Title: Where Dreams Used To Live
Statement: My Body of Work encapsulates a nostalgic perspective of childhood innocence. My collection of works include a photo realist portrait painting of a little boy; capturing his playful, innocence and carefree personality in detail. The two watercolour portraits heighten emotional intensity and questioning within the audience. The etchings provide snapshots of moments and memories conveyed by the eucalyptus transfer prints.
Hendrix Mills
Title: Lust for Luxe
Statement: My Body of Work was inspired by my personal interests and conceptually conveys society's lust for luxury and valuable items. The hyper-realistic representation of materialistic objects explores the relationships between luxury, identity and status. My intention was to recreate these still life objects as realistically as possible, so the viewer might like to reach out and touch, buy or consume them. I was inspired by artists CJ Hendry and Michael Zavros.
Izaiah Tipene-Royal
Title: Disparity
Statement: My Body of Work delves into the concept of the duality between order and chaos. Four figurative portrait paintings combining realistic and contemporary techniques, explore how the delicate equilibrium between these two forces can significantly reshape our circumstances. Artists of influence include Lucian Freud, Ben Quilty, and Guy Maestri.
Lorena Dionigi
Title: Error. Connection Lost. Retry?
Statement: At first, we were the ones holding the smartphone in the palm of our hand. Now, it seems, we are held firmly in our smartphone’s grasp. The conceptual underpinnings of my Body of Work stem from my concerns regarding the ubiquity of screens in contemporary society and the ironic isolation of someone who chooses not to engage in social media. This was conveyed in combination with my fascination with the human face and, in particular, the gaze.
