My porcelain dolls celebrate the joys and turmoils of the internal shift between childhood and adulthood that is experienced by all, whether in oblivion or with heartache. On each picnic mat resides a doll who shows different interests and personal styles, just as our childhood relationships, hobbies, and outgrown phases have shaped our later life. Each doll also responds differently to their receding child's age. They are rebellious, perhaps clueless, comfortable and hopeful – or confused, and scared. Utilising the pristine finish of porcelain, I aimed for the dolls to read like symbols, an embodiment of shared experiences, rather than lifelike characters. Thus my work isn’t just a dollhouse play scene—it’s an ode to the many ‘selfs’ we’ve left behind and a personal reminder that growing up is a transformation, not an abandonment of the past.
ARTEXPRESS: AGNSW
My BOW Family Dynamics aims to explore the individual within the collective. It can be challenging to grasp the idea of a person within the collective before first seeing their personal representation. Specific images of my cousins were chosen to stimulate the audience's thoughts so that they may look closer at the person in each drawing. Pushing the audience to make connections between the subject's age, facial expression, movement and objects within the work to build a story without the pieces interacting with one another. My choice to use graphite as my medium was strongly influenced by André Kohn and his atypical portraits, and my cousin's personal connections with the art world.
All three of my subjects have enjoyed drawing from a young age and doodling with lead pencils on paper during kindy and primary school. At first, I was unsure of the connection I could make between them and my medium however I discovered it more recently when I found drawings they had given to me, inspiring me with their personal connections to creativity and drawing.
Time is constantly changing and will never stop for someone or something. My work ‘Star Stories ’ revolves around the themes of time and nostalgia. It tells the story of my parents’ past through the motif and personal link of paper stars they made for each other; each having two most used and one most memorable object from the 80s-90s. It tells their individual stories and how their paths connect from the colours of the backgrounds, Mum’s being red and Dad’s being blue. My concept is to make my audience think about the hidden truth about technology and its adaptations. For the older generation, I want them to remember and recollect their memories of their forgotten past and have the rhetorical question “Remember that time?”. For the younger generation, I hope for them to be educated about the past they’ll never experience and be more open-minded in learning about how the world has changed over time. I used oil paints to make my paintings look more realistic as if the viewers went back in time. My inspiration came from my parents as I have realised how fast technology has been developing throughout the years; hearing stories of when technology used to be uncommon and a luxury for my parents, but now is seen anywhere and everywhere.
ARTEXPRESS: HAZELHURST GALLERIES
Grief is universal. It is a complex process encompassing a range of emotions, thoughts, and behaviours experienced when someone or something of significance is no longer present. Using charcoal powder and charcoal pencil on watercolour paper, my artwork drew great inspiration from the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance).
The large triptych displays three emotionally different perspectives on grief. Initially, the first face resembles extreme anger and pain, embracing an abundant amount of water. The second face embraces the stages of bargaining and depression, and concluding the triptych, the final face displays the stage of acceptance. As the visual emotion in the faces becomes more subtle through the triptych, the water also simultaneously decreases, reflecting the progression of grief.
Moreover, the pentaptych below represents a more accurate perspective of the five stages of grief - from left to right: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance - physicalising the phenomenon of loss. The pentaptych embraces a tactile and emotional dual meaning in its ability to establish both a physical and mental reaction to grief.
In its various forms, water has long been associated with emotions and the depths of the human psyche. It contemplates the connection between grief and water as metaphors for both destruction and rejuvenation. Through technical refinement and employment of chiaroscuro, the notion of water invites viewers to “submerge” themselves in the depths of their own emotions and reflect on the nature of loss. In this sense, the water is a physical symbol of grief. However, the incorporation of water also serves as a motif for the progression of time as the faces in the triptych and hands in the pentaptych become more acceptant and “dry”.
SCS HSC SHOWCASE: MCGLADE GALLERY
My piece “Metamorphic Memories”, consists of 4 large canvases depicting my holiday house in Cunjurong Point and the changes it has faced over my lifetime.
The four canvases reflect my journey from childhood to adulthood, the colours and shapes emphasise the changes in the exterior environment though the consistency of the house remains almost identical across each painting. This choice accentuates the consistent role this house has and continues to play in my life. Though seasons change and time passes the house will forever hold memories and meaning to me and my family.
Inspired by artists including Eliza Gosse I have developed a distinctive style of art, using oil on canvas and bold block colours to create a personal interpretation of my second home amidst shifting seasons.
In my triptych series of black and white portraits, titled ‘Fragments of Expression’, I embark on a visual exploration of the profound depth and complexity of human emotion, and contemporary societies' value of perception of the individual self through social media creating the undying sense of anonymity, evident across all three panels.
Through the deliberate absence of colour, I aim to distil the essence of these emotions, focusing solely on the raw composition of the subject, enabling the audience to intuitively interact with the anonymous nature of each subject to find each portrait's obscured identity. By removing the distractions of colour, I invite the viewer to engage with the raw essence of human emotion, transcending the boundaries of identity and auras, rather, than connecting to the audience from a raw perspective through the interplay of light and shadow. I invite viewers to engage in a visual dialogue that goes beyond mere recognition of the individual, encouraging a more introspective and imaginative response.
At first glance, these artworks have merely an aesthetic appearance, yet as the audience focuses on the large-scale works, they will realise the identity of each portrait is covered, forcing the audience to look at the delicate nuances of expression and the subtleties of the ‘human’, the absence of colour elevating the beauty and power of simplicity to create a deeper contemplation of the emotions presented.
The three portraits also convey subtly the notions of perception, and through a contemporary eye, one will understand the power of social media to ‘fragment’ or perceive themselves one way from who they truly are; unknown identity, personality and expression. Within the short vignette, images of my works are overlaid with short, thought-provoking statements, forcing the viewer through the purposeful red contrasting hue, to engage and understand the concept of obscured identity excitingly and engagingly, simultaneous with the instant gratification of social media as a means of further communicating the concept of fragmented expression and anonymity. Hence, each painting through the motif of anonymity, demonstrates the stripping away of external markers of identity and allows the viewer to focus solely on the fragments' expression, obscured by the social media-driven lens of society.
Through the imitation of a video game interface, a popular form of entertainment within modern society,
my work ‘Customise Your Character’ explores the growing effects of media within a developing world in its transition from the physical to the virtual. My work encapsulates its underlying impacts on the identities of youths within contemporary society through the gradual change in appearance with the repetitive occurrence of several negative comments. Interacting with the virtual world is inevitable, and through these interactions, youth’s individual identities are progressively being changed, or in other words “customised”. Therefore, my work imitates that of a video game interface in order to effectively represent that interaction as well as the interaction between the audience and the work. The background is symbolic of that transition between the natural and virtual world; their colours are a direct symbol of the emotional state of the character. Additionally, the inclusion of architecture in the backgrounds symbolises the growing influence of virtual society within the character’s mind it begins to build and overcrowd the background – or on other, the mind. The stylisation of my work is inspired by digital artists Sam Yang and Lydia Elaine, as well as the popular cartoon show,
Steven Universe.
My work, titled ‘In Absence’, consists of a structural replication of my grandmother's home to demonstrate the concept of Alzheimer's and the disassociated familiarity it leaves behind when memory is shredded and home is no longer home. My work was conceptually inspired by what my grandma has unknowingly left behind as she is no longer fit to live independently which has been explored through the use of l materials including cardboard, cork, wood and clay. During the creation process of my work, I was able to appreciate the features of my grandma's home that I never had the opportunity to view in its full capacity of detail, which allowed me to capture the abilities my grandfather and grandmother had when they built the house together. My work offers an homage to their hard work and even lost in memory, the infrastructure continues to stand tall.
In today's fast-paced society, the inherent beauty in places and landscapes that have been shaped by the passage of time often goes unnoticed. My artistic journey is deeply connected to these landscapes, drawing inspiration from the intertwined influences of my Greek heritage within the Australian culture I call home.
My Body of Work serves as a visual representation of my cultural bond with Greece and its profound significance in my life. Through the vibrant use of colour, various media, and painting techniques inspired by artists Fred Williams, John Firth-Smith, and George Raftopoulos, I strive to translate the memories of my Greek travels onto canvas.
By layering rich, expressive surfaces, I aim to capture the essence of the Greek landscape, its intimate details and its unique atmosphere, and meld them with my personal experiences. As I delved into the creative process, my Body of Work naturally evolved, becoming more intricate and multi-dimensional.
To further enhance the depth and meaning of my artistic exploration, I experimented with small painting studies and sugarlift etchings of the Greek landscape. These additional layers add a new dimension to my work, allowing for varied interpretations and symbolism.
My ultimate goal is to transform the landscape into an abstract representation, infused with cultural imagery that speaks to both my Greek heritage and the Australian landscape that surrounds me. Through my Body of Work, I hope to pay homage to both these influences and contribute to the contemporary art scene.
SCS HSC SHOWCASE: MCGLADE GALLERY
In my body of work “Faces of Fortitude”, I have attempted to capture the impact of my father's chronic pain condition on his life. Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), affects the Trigeminal nerve causing sudden and severe attacks of facial pain. The debilitating nature of this condition is the central theme of my work as I have intentionally drawn attention to the nerves present in his face. I have done this by placing emphasis on the importance of the facial area using coloured pencils and through my use of thread which I have stitched into a pattern. I have intentionally chosen thread in an attempt to effectively communicate the complicated nature of the nerves present within his face. The inspiration for this comes from mixed media artist Maria Aparicio who stitches c shapes into her photographs. Through “Faces of Fortitude” I intend to expose viewers to the harsh reality of invisible illnesses and the large impact they can have on an individual identity.
"Symphony of Beauty" carefully combines Australian gum tree bark and Italian mosaic techniques, forming a captivating representation of the cross-cultural exchange between the two nations. The bark's natural properties are harmoniously transformed into Italian-style mosaics, uniting the distinct artistic traditions of Australia and Italy. This innovative approach celebrates the fusion of materials and techniques, resulting in a visually striking and culturally significant artwork. "Symphony of Beauty" embodies the beauty and complexity that arise when different cultures intertwine, inviting viewers to appreciate the unique connection formed by the Australian gum tree bark and the artistry of Italian mosaics. I have chosen to utilise an Australian gum tree to create Italian Mosaics and it displays the connection between one culture to another. How one can have more than just one heritage. I chose to name my Artwork ‘Symphony of Beauty" as it shows a visual representation in a unique way of cross-culture.
“Undone: Postcards 1991” features a surrealist “mindscape” stop-motion animation & and video that explores the decay of culture as memories are buried, portrayed through my family’s experiences and memories of 1991, a pivotal moment for many Croatians as they declared independence. My second piece was created using plaster moulds of my family’s hands to highlight the widening chasm that occurs between generations as this “decay” occurs. Inspired by the works of both Jean Michel Basquiat and Pablo Picasso, as well as Colm Dillane’s (KidSuper) conceptual philosophies, I implemented aspects of the Croatian cultures throughout both pieces. This includes threads, which have had a vast array of uses throughout Croatian history, and “Sicanje”, a form of Croatian tattoos/motifs that have symbolised protection, freedom, and faith for hundreds of years within Balkan culture. Through re-contextualising these symbols and practices in a colourful and child-like way, I aim to further emulate the cultural decay experienced by many, and the relationship between the adolescent and adult perspective.
In our contemporary society, children are easily influenced to associate the concept of play and fun with technology differently from the physical play I grew up with. My body of work “Digital Dominance” is created using materials of oil paint and plywood to create a familiar image of an old bookshelf that one may find in a family home. Inspired by Dilara Niri, the work calls upon the audience to rethink contemporary norms within child play with the intent of evoking feelings of nostalgia and a reminder of childhood memories. Each shelf of Digital Dominance explores a different generation of toys commonly used by my family starting with my grandparents and then cascading down to my younger brother with the complete ignorance of physical toys.
Imagine at the ripe age of 2 years old, having swelling joints and inflamed muscles. You wouldn't. Many people have only ever heard of juvenile arthritis if they have a child in their life affected by this illness. Currently, only 1600 children have juvenile arthritis in Australia that we know about. Chloe, my 11-year-old baby sister, has lived with juvenile arthritis for 9 years now and she is my hero, she is the strongest person I know. My body of work has been my way of displaying how incredible my sister is and how juvenile arthritis is an invisible illness that no one can see. To demonstrate this my material practice was Linocut
Printmaking and Photography. I have chosen this material practice as it assisted my vision for my BOW. Significant influencing artist who has impacted my view of my BOW is David Hockney and Nan Goldin through their artworks. In the last year I have completed my body of Work and during this time was able to overcome some challenges and changes of inspiration which ultimately led to my finalisation of my Body of Work. This major work has allowed me to express and represent how much of an impact juvenile arthritis has had on my baby sister who through all of it has been one of the bravest and most resilient people I know. I am genuinely so proud and grateful that I was able to make this Body of Work in honour of how incredible she is despite this illness which is a constant struggle in her life.
My body of work ‘Snatched the Sound’ shows my concept of the 1950s-60s African American exploitation in the music industry. My concept is shown across three works, two posters and one canvas. The works are inspired by artist Charles Alston, his paintings look into the concepts of what happened to the African American community in the past. Specifically one of his works ‘Oh freedom!’ reflects the Montgomery bus boycott incident in 1955. I took inspiration from this and painted my canvas work of 1950s singer ‘Arthur Crudup’ whose music was not credited because of his race and was used by white artists, this shows the concept of music industry exploitation. For my first poster/white poster, I glued random article titles into my vapd and drew inspiration from that. The headlines show the concept of the music industry's exploitation and how white people have taken from the black African American cultures music. For my second poster/black poster, I drew inspiration from the articles in my vapd and related it back to my concept of music industry exploitation. The poster has articles printed randomly to show articles of the evidence of music industry's exploitation of African-American artists during the 1960s.
My work explores the portrayal of the famous Seven Deadly Sins, and their position in society, done on 3 poster boards as a split canvas sort of design. My works are inspired mainly by my chosen artist, Hirohiko Araki, with his variety of character designs and their quirks fitting all the different portrayal types of sins. The multiple different personalities and appearances in his manga novel for his characters had inspired an idea that branched out into my current concept of Seven Deadly Sins, his art being a mesmerising and appealing style for me only made his inspiration more just. The style was fun and exciting, I went with this and provided easter eggs throughout the work, an animal and a word in each character, both of these things relating to their sin. Their portrayal and variety of personalities, bunched into the same room for dinner seem to get my idea of difference and variety, with the contrast and opposites throughout the characters. Although to further display the sin's powers and roles, it is agreed upon and proven that the Sin of Pride is both the most intelligent and strongest sin, hence ruling above all. The colours of each sin are relevant, all of them relating to their correlated word/persona, it is also my influence for the rainbow and variety of colours, showing that they are all mixed together.
My concept for my BOW is natural forms, or more specifically, the ocean. Art and the ocean are two concepts that have shared a vital link for centuries. The ocean’s tidal force still threatens human life on a terrifying scale, just as its depths continue to harbour a myriad of scientific mysteries. Throughout my work, I attempt to demonstrate the unknown of the ocean. I have used the method of hyperbolic crocheting to create a curving, twisting piece similar to that of a wave, hence the title of the piece “Waves”. I am attempting to mimic a tumultuous sea abstractly to catch the audience’s eye and draw them in.
The three wood canvases have been built up with clay and layers of paint to imitate movement with water. The awe-inspiring sublimity of the ocean is a symbol of the unknown.
Չկայացած Հանդիպում ~ (A Missed Meeting)
My concept for my Body of Work, “Չկայացած Հանդիպում”, is to illustrate how I keep my recently passed relatives alive in my life through my other relatives and jewellery. Though they have never met, I have subconsciously linked my cousins with my past relatives. My grandmother and younger cousin share a mature, motherly nature; while my great-aunt is similar to my other cousin in their girly, humorous, and confident manner. I keep my relatives alive in my life by removing the jewellery gifted to me by them from my jewellery box. My medium of prisma colours represents the skin-like texture and the silkiness of hair, immersing my audience in a hyper-real experience. My purpose is to urge the audience to ask, ‘Why are the people stuck on?’, and ‘What is the significance of the jewellery?’, creating a personal experience as I allow myself to expose my most vulnerable self for them to explore.
In the process of developing my work, I encountered many technical challenges, which inspired new and improved ideas in which I can better express myself and concepts. My inspiration has been the unfortunate passing of these two family members on the same day and my attempt to create a lasting memory of them through my art for my family and myself
“Entwined Essence”, is a work that explores the extensive depth of cultural and personal influence. We are here, encompassed by it. This collection of photographs aims to emphasize how one's interactions, collective values, and experiences form one's perception of self. The subjects of this work, my family, significantly influence how I as an individual have formed my own sense of personal identity via both collective and individual factors.
The subjects are as follows;
Sebastiano. A post-war Italian migrant whose connection to cultural influences, Maintaining bonds and the existence of unique connections posed challenges that led to personal development and progress.
Ake Matarau. A pacific islander, single mother; who pushed through hardships with the help of commitment to her cultural heritage and family.
Isabella. A 28-year-old modern-day Greek Orthodox identifying as a woman who breaks norms and expectations by challenging the boundaries of gender roles.
Industrialisation has influenced the rapid descent of detail and beauty within our world. ‘Descens del Detall’ parodises the idea that “form follows function”, by removing the original purpose of plates and hand-painting each piece to showcase various design choices from cultures and points throughout history. From 15th-century Japanese practices to modern-day industrial designs, I favour the detail and beauty of objects that have evolved over centuries and serve a purpose beyond their function. I combine sculpture through the repurposing of the objects, transforming each piece into an almost unnecessarily detailed work like Antoni Gaudí’s. His conceptual and material practice for ‘Park Güell’, an architectural monument I visited when in Barcelona, my father’s birthplace, inspired me to emphasise the beauty of art. Despite the need for efficiency and speed to create in today’s growing world, I appreciate how detail brings joy to and captures moments in our lives through my body of work, displayed as if it is to be observed within a gallery behind glass.
My work is about my love for flowers. I chose to define the delicate petals of the flowers. I used acrylic paint, oil pastels and modelling paste to create texture and interest in my Body of Work. I am most pleased with my first attempt as my perseverance paid off. the petals are soft and really resemble the flower.
My work is about nature and different animals in Australia. I chose the photos from my holiday destinations. It inspired me to capture the beautiful landscape views into a 3D artwork. The mediums I used are acrylic paint to paint my wooden frames, printmaking of my photos and photography. My inspirations were the colours in the landscape photos and my love for animals. I am most pleased with the final product how it came together and the fine detail of assembling the ribbon around the border.
“Limited minds in an infinite world”—this is us. The mediocrity prevalent within our current society inspired me to create a skilful curation of mirrors, light, reflections, and sound to infinitely expand the viewers' perceptions of our world. Timothy Oulton and Guilamelle Lachapelle both skillfully create infinite reflections through mirrors and light to remove the limits within the viewer's perception. Drawing inspiration from these conceptual artists allowed me to hone my conceptualisation and understanding of mirrors, lights, and reflections to purposefully immerse the viewers within my infinite artwork “Limited minds in an infinite world”, making my work inseparable from the audience. Since architecture transforms ideas into a reality, Lachapelle inspired my use of 3D printing to create mundane, mediocre and hostile architectural models, combined with the installation of light to illuminate the ‘programming of our minds’ in our daily lives. To make this piece an ultimate sensorial experience, I decided to implement satirical and confronting audio to further engage the audience. My strategic use of mixed media, through bonding acrylic mirrors, audio, 3D printing and incorporating light in order to create infinite reflections, I intend to expand the viewer's perception of how the limited social construct has become inherited within our infinite minds, influencing us to remain living in mediocrity, renouncing any deviation from the majority.