Mia Assaly

Security Blanket

My artwork, “Security Blanket'', represents the relationships formed during adolescence and their importance in facilitating an individual's independence as they separate from their nuclear family. My quilt is multilayered, referencing a number of different art and craft traditions. My decision to use the medium of sewing and quilting was intentional as it assisted me to represent the history and importance of female relationships as well as the opportunity to elevate the status of this “craft tradition”. Not only is quilting an artform, the blankets that are created provide comfort to those we love. Traditionally, the process of quilting was accompanied by social interactions whereby women would gather together sharing food and conversation whilst creating their quilts. The portraits of my five closest friends on the front of the quilt are inspired by Grayson Perry’s stylistic miniature portrait, “Earl of Essex” 2014. Miniature portraits historically, were portraits of your loved ones tied to your neck with ribbon whilst travelling away from home. Each one of my portraits has one ribbon string flowing to the centre of my chest, referencing this tradition. The other string runs to the edge of the quilt flowing onto the back further reiterating the interconnected nature of friendships.

Jovita Chue

Who Am I To Judge

For my artwork, I decided to portray the aspects of androgyny. Having grown up in an environment where people tend to shrug off things like toxic-masculinity, where guys are able to express themselves and women have been represented more in society as strong and independent, I found this concept highly interesting and thought that making an artwork based on these ideas would be enjoyable to do. Having the audience try to differentiate between genders and the ambiguity of it highly fascinated me, as it challenges what we perceive in terms of gender stereotypes.

Sara Der Bedrossian

Liminal Beings

“In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between them, there are doors.”

― William Blake

I have always drawn inspiration from the interconnectedness of all things; the connection between our human condition and the natural environment as a functioning system; observing patterns in nature and how they are replicated within our human body.

A presence of familiarity is explored through references to the human body and flower or coral-like patterns. Yet, unfamiliarity lingers; as a collection the works create an alien body that cannot easily be placed into a single category of existence. The delicate surface of the porcelain reflects the human condition through ambiguous communication between satisfaction and discontent; the beautiful and grotesque.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of contemporary ceramics artist, Juz Kitson; her works embody a contrast between the recognisable and the unrecognisable in correlation with the contrast of flora and fauna, which influenced my idea development significantly.

In Liminal Beings I ask you to reinterpret and reconsider what you think you know.

Rachael Hardman

Crescendo

Due to Covid-19, 82,983 live music events were cancelled between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. My work ‘Crescendo’ explores the resurgence of live music in Australia after its initial pause in March 2020. Uncertainty still taints the future for live music. My work is a hopeful celebration of the industry re-building itself, proving the strength and resilience the community holds.

My work is displayed in a timeline, following the regrowth of live music post-lockdown. In the first panels, artists are seen isolated, surrounded by black. The photos are dull in saturation, a metaphor for the lack of live music due to physical distancing restrictions. This directly contrasts with the later vibrant, saturated photos. Slowly, from beginning to end my work gets more vibrant. The simple grid layout with each photo separately mounted helps emphasise the idea of a timeline, allowing colours to flow through each photo, creating a cohesive piece, that draws the audiences eye from the beginning to the end.

Photo media with photography techniques allowed me to share my perspective, taking a journalistic approach, inspired by my artist of influence, Daniel Pockett.

I took inspiration from Tim Johnson’s screenprint ‘punk!’ series for my music posters. Seen in my work are three two-toned black and white lino printed posters. These have references to pop art, they add an extra technical aspect with texture and visual storytelling.

Sophie Lennon

Between movement and stillness; the ephemeral and eternal

The dichotomy of movement and stillness; the ephemeral and eternal characterises life. We attempt to hold on to moments, people and ultimately feelings while the world steadily spins, inevitably encroaching on our stillness and comfortability and enforcing change. As humans we are sentimental, the trinkets around our house tell stories of who we are, where we have been and who we have met. They do not serve a practical purpose; however, they comfort us and perhaps remind us of the beauty of our lives; they are a memory of a moment frozen in an object. However, change will inevitably find its way into our lives represented by the stark white organic porcelain, which although a hard and brittle material, molds effortlessly to the boxes in which the paintings sit comfortably encroaching on the space, and thus representing the ever-changing world, which whether we like it or not will force us to change and evolve. However, just as the world enforces changes in our life, those changes too, will change, thus the porcelain despite an enduring material also represents the temporal, while the memories and nostalgia captured in the still life are eternal. The window paintings act as a bridge between movement and stillness; the eternal and temporal, as the audience looks out the still window, to the organic white painting which mimics my porcelain. The porcelain aspect of my work was inspired by Juz Kitson, an Australian contemporary artist who works with porcelain, her practice materially and conceptually enhanced by her time working out of the historic town of Jingdezhen, the ‘porcelain capital’ of China. Conceptually her work focuses on ephemerality, the notion of things being transitory, only existing briefly, more specifically, nature, humans and life events, ideas which resonate with me and have influenced my practice. Between movement and stillness, take a breath and watch the world revolve around you. .

Wenzi Lieu

#unedited

“...my work investigates the relationship between a luscious surface and the darker and more confronting nature of the overall image. I enjoy the theatrics of forcing the viewer to move back from the enticing surface to see the more figurative imagery hidden in the paint. My application of paint is quick and violent, and the imagery is often connected to the uneasy feeling of facing an uncertain future or the indulgent glorification of decline” - Ben Quilty

How many times a day do you check yourself in the mirror? Our lives are subject to an endless bombardment of images in a social media culture that has evolved in becoming obsessed with deriving self worth from self image. #unedited depicting myself, explores the progressive deterioration of young people who struggle to keep up with the increasingly strict and wild beauty standards instilled into them through social media. The manipulation of my face through abstraction of the features such as the enlarged jaw or unconventional colour palette of bruise purples and raw pinks inspired by Ben Quilty showcases the endless array of emotions and hardships young people go through to attain happiness, self-worth and validation. The broken, unblended and quick strokes of paint layered upon each other represent the heightened emotions such as the challenges and vulnerabilities of young people. Moreover, the gestured strokes and blurring of lines and colour through the wiping of paint symbolises the distortion of their physical reality as seen in Quilty’s self portraits. However, in contrast the blank canvas space allows for space for the audience to reflect on their own lives. The visual progression of each portrait from a realistic and recognisable person to a distorted and destroyed form forces the viewer to understand the aggressive downturn of body image on a young person’s moldable mentality whilst creating a newfound sense of sympathy within viewers

Steph Loker

Tidal

The beach is alive. Ever changing shapes, sounds, smells. The crunch of sand under your feet, singing cicadas and squeals of young children splashing in the shallows. When you break the surface, you are greeted by the chaos of waves and swirling water. Enveloped in a hurricane of bubbles. As you sink into the depths, you are confronted with complete silence. Isolated in the dark underwater world. You are overwhelmed by the peace, tranquility and serenity of only your heartbeat as company. Suspended in time, you feel weightless and free. Escaping the disarray of reality. But you soon must breach the surface, once again surrounded with the buzz of the beach. However this spiritual journey is not forgotten. A transitional rebirth; nature’s salvation offered to beachgoers.

Tidal explores the dictomitc experience offered by the ocean to children. Through their youthful exploration they appreciate the incredible peace and silence offered in the depths simultaneously experiencing the chaos and excitement provided by the shallow waves. Inspired by Narelle Autio’s playful underwater photography, the anonymous subject reflects my personal narrative of visiting the Central Coast each summer, alongside all beachgoers who learned the diversity of nature in their youth.

Cassie Magtoto

Slipping Through Her Fingers

My artwork is about my mother and I, and how much we have grown together throughout my life. The relationship between a mother and her daughter is different from other relationships. It is one of the most important relationships in your life. It is a connection that continuously grows everyday, becoming stronger and developing that sense of trust and depth of unspoken love. My artwork consists of 3 drawing overlapping one another, drawn with biro ballpoint pens and graphite pencils which are placed on top of 3 2-dimensional houses made out of plywood, symbolising the idea of ‘Home is a Person’, interpreting the sense of security and safety felt when being with that person, which I intended to communicate in my artwork with my mum. The middle portrait is brought forward while the two side portraits are pushed behind to represent the past and present, however the overlapping symbolises that we cannot leave the past behind, we will never forget the memories, and the good and the bad times. This artwork is overall a way to show my appreciation and love for my mum.

Danielle Maya

Social Class

Through the stages of school life, it has been brought to my attention the dynamic personalities within a group and how certain personalities and people are compatible with others. A social group is two or more people who interact with one another, and typically share similar characteristics and a collective sense of unity. Within any form of social group it is perceived that there is always a dominant character or also known as the ‘leader’. My aim is for the audience to be able to identify the type of personality trait each clay head has and the connections between the other groups, conveyed through eye contact. The choice of using clay is ironic as it relates to the concepts of friendship groups. Clay is a medium that you can form and shape into anything, thus being ironic as individuals personalities form and shape a social group. Amanda Shelsher, an Australian contemporary artist captures certain expressions and dynamic emotions in her clay sculptures. Her technique and use of pigments and oxides is conveyed in ‘Social Class’

Michaela Mendoza

Hidden Fragments

The phrase “moving on '', is commonly perceived in society to be easy and that we will find someone way better. But what we don’t know is that friendship, that bond we have formed with someone else leads to pieces of yourself and them buried in one another. Pieces of a distant memory, that creates a power within oneself to whether to hold on or let go. My intent in my body of work is to dispel these notions of set phrases about moving on, but to comment on how self-critical comments distort our understanding in the true process of healing. This body of work is inspired by Picasso's and Hennie Niemann Jr’s cubist art styles, the combination of analytical cubism by Picasso and with Hennie Jr’s more modern approach to cubism using bright toned colours. My practice of subtracting the bright tones of orange, green and blue, alludes to the dark tones of amber brown, yellow ochre and black, dramatising the shift of the figures, represents the notions of friendship on the verge of a near breaking point, the rawness and vulnerability of the bond. However with bright tone fragments still in the frame, this represents the joy and sense of hope still lingering.

Diandra Paez

Interconnections of Energy, Emotion and Time

“The portraits verge on disintegration. I remember the artist Gareth Sansom once described that propensity for artists to “tidy things up”. I like that sense of raggedness, of not being too polite. Too much work is removed from the real person that made it.” - David Fairbairn

In my artwork, I have explored the relationship between energy stemming from human emotion and the progression of time. Influenced by David Fairbairn, the collection of paintings, etchings and video each have a part to play in the depiction of time and the visual portrayal of human emotions. The energy of the large paintings radiate with intrinsic qualities of mediums each contrasting with one another; the chalky marks of pastel contrast the flat appearance of acrylic which contrasts to the rough edged layers of gesso. The levels of layering adopted in the paintings are symbolic of different stages of human emotions. Through the scrubbing back and washing away of some layers, the destruction of random lines and marks parallels the relationship between time and emotion. As time progresses, emotions can fade away or grow stronger. This sense of chance comes to life in this practice of destruction by letting hard streams of water run over the work and control what is removed or what remains. The video in the collection of works fully reveals this process to the audience as in front of them the work comes together, disintegrates and reforms to a stripped back portrait in a raw form. The video cycles through this process and shows that time is a medium for emotions to run through. Furthermore, the audience can choose a mark in the video and observe its various transformations to see whether it stays rigid, disappears or gets covered up.

Alyssa Rimac

Solitude

Solitude

/ˈsɒlɪtjuːd/

Solitude is defined as ‘a state of seclusion or isolation. It can have both positive and negative effects, depending on the situation.’

In my body of work, I wanted to emphasise the stillness of my Dida’s (Grandfather’s) life by living alone in a home that is instilled with poignant memories. In a sense, this connection has inhibited him from moving someplace else and has left him to look out onto the world from the same windows he has for the past 40 years. Therefore, the solitude has now become his constant state of being and although this often is perceived as sad, I wanted to capture the beauty in it. The beauty of time alone in solitude that allows for reflection of oneself and life, particularly at such a fragile age. I achieved this through an unconventional ‘documentary portrait’ work, where conceptually the focus is on his current life state, which has changed drastically over the past year due to my Baba’s passing and this central element of his life was captured through her books. With the technical style of ‘Object Photography’ as inspiration, my main focus was to delve into temporal objects, which often are overlooked and yet can be a great indicator of an individual and their state of being.

Skye Tansfied

4.32pm, Scrabble Time

Catalina Trujillo

Danny

Every person has defining qualities or hobbies that highlight their passions and demonstrates their skills. My Dad (we call him Danny) has always shown his skills through tinkering with materials and tools. Whenever he approaches a task whether it's fixing, making or assembling something such as furniture, he never fails to do it with precision so that the outcome is perfect. My artwork is a commemorative/ tribute artwork that appreciates my Dad and all Dads who show their skills through tools. His affinity for working with his hands and tools has undeniably inspired me. Throughout my life I have observed him use tools and along the way he has taught me how to use them. This has given me the confidence to use tools in creative projects such as my body of work. The intentional use of wood, nails and brushes is reflective of the tools he consistently utilizes. To depict the tools I decided to use the non-conventional medium of paint brushes to replicate tools typically hung on a peg board. The artwork also represents our shared bond of creating things manually and helping friends and family with their projects which requires tools. My Dad always offers his assistance in anything of this nature so I wanted to commemorate and appreciate this quality which is often overlooked.

Kate Woodburn

Together

Jasmin Wright

Ziggy

Jane Goodall once said “You cannot share your life with a dog or a cat and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.” I too believe that each of our pets have such unique and distinctive personalities that we experience. My Body of Work represents how important a dog’s personality and energy is in influencing us as humans. Through the inspiration of artist Laura McKendry, I used the medium watercolour as a unique way to represent the bright feelings of my dalmatian dog, Ziggy. This is evident through using colours which represent the emotion she is giving off in the artwork, allowing the audience to view her as an individual with complex feelings. The watercolour lines across the page illustrate her continual energy and excitement she reveals to me. The collection of artworks capture the complexity and individuality of Ziggy. The range of emotions and engaging connection communicated in her looks and body language invite the audience to fall in love with her too. Through Ziggy’s extraordinary emotions I allow viewers to understand how their dog’s character influences the special connection they share with them and realise how valuable our pets are.