The annual event in the Art Gallery of WA’s calendar, Year 12 Perspectives once again showcases the work of graduating students who have displayed a depth of engagement with the world around them—a significant achievement during the final year in high school.
·DIRECTOR’S ·
The selection panel of Leigh Elliott, President of the Art Teachers Association of Western Australia; Nathan Beard, WA artist; and AGWA’s Associate Curator Projects Dunja Rmandi had the task of choosing the works that—within the constraints of current curriculum guidelines—contained elements of technical prowess, conceptual thinking and aesthetic originality. The fifty-five selected works provide a window onto the private, social and artistic concerns that young people have in their minds and amongst which they strive to find their place in the world. Multiculturalism, family, history and our relationship to it, global politics, our relationship to nature and each other, urban development of Perth and of course the stress of Year 12 all feature strongly this year, and are a testament to the strength of conviction of our young people.
FOREWORD·
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I would like to congratulate and thank all the teachers, families and friends who have supported the participating students with encouragement, guidance and assistance. My thanks also goes to our Education Sponsors: the Department of Education and Catholic Education of Western Australia for their wonderful support over the years. For the second year in a row, we have partnered with Healthway to deliver the Act, Belong, Commit message and we hope you will participate in this year’s Healthway activities. Acknowledgement also goes to all Gallery staff involved in the project for their efforts in facilitating yet another successful edition of this special exhibition. During your visit I hope you will enjoy the work of the next generation of artists as much as we do.
Stefano Carboni Director
Congratulations to the 55 student artists whose work was selected for Year 12 Perspectives 2017. It is an outstanding achievement to be chosen from 297 submissions across Western Australia. I also extend my congratulations to their teachers and family in supporting and nurturing creativity in our youth.
·MINISTER’S ·
Year 12 Perspectives is a much-loved fixture on AGWA’s annual calendar—a testament to the talent of the artists and the quality of work on display. It is a highly anticipated showcase and forum for emerging artists to connect with the broader public and explore a range of subjects and themes important to young people today. The commitment displayed to highlighting social causes, exploring self-identity and family connections, shows the depth of our young people and the significant future role they will hold in shaping our society.
FOREWORD·
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I am pleased to see submissions from across Western Australia, from both metropolitan and regional schools. Creativity is a core value of WA’s education system, and I am delighted to witness just one of the remarkable outcomes—Year 12 Perspectives 2017. I congratulate all the students whose work is presented in this year’s display and encourage everyone to view the remarkable talent demonstrated in the exhibition.
David Templeman, MLA Minister for Culture and the Arts
·A MESSAGE FROM·
Healthway is proud to support the Art Gallery of WA’s Year 12 Perspectives 2017 exhibition, which is part of an annual partnership providing significant support to help promote the Act-Belong-Commit mental health message. Act-Belong-Commit is a campaign that encourages us all to take action to protect and maintain our own mental wellbeing. Keeping mentally healthy is just as important as staying physically healthy, and this exhibition is a great way to bring people together, to keep young people active, and to enable them to have a sense of belonging, all which contribute to good mental health and wellbeing. The Year 12 Perspectives 2017 provides an opportunity to view the wonderful art works by some of the brightest and most talented graduating high school artists. It is a celebration of the role the arts play in the development of young people’s identities.
HEALTHWAY·
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By attending the exhibition you support and celebrate our young people and emerging young artists. It is also a time for all of us to get together in a positive environment in the wonderful Art Gallery of Western Australia. Before you leave, I encourage you to vote for your favorite artwork in the People’s Choice Award, supported by Act Belong Commit. I hope you enjoy the exhibition. You can find out more at www.actbelongcommit.org.au
Susan Hunt PSM Chief Executive Officer Healthway
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Little brother 2017 wax crayon and ink on paper two parts: 102 x 76 cm each St Mary Mackillop College My little brother is not so little anymore. He is a teenager in a transitional phase that sees him leaving behind childish, naïve attitudes as he enters adulthood. I wanted to convey his reluctance towards growing up and accepting responsibilities. Taking inspiration from childhood drawings, playful crayon lines compete with the more sophisticated smooth black ink. The collared shirt is a symbol of adulthood that suppresses the lively, colourful scribbles.
·LEYLA·
ALLERTON·
10
The lap of luxury 2017 cotton embroidery and sanitary pads three parts: 29 x 23 cm each Wanneroo Secondary College
·PATRICIA·
Among items considered ‘taxable luxuries’ are feminine sanitary products, deemed non-essential to a healthy lifestyle. I have hand-embroidered sanitary pads and mounted them in satin lined ornate frames to elevate them above their typical status. I have transformed these necessary health products into the luxury items governments deem them to be.
ASPERA·
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Crossing borders—a displaced humanity 2017 wood, paint, terracotta clay, black oxide, coloured slips, porcelain clay and paper print 72 x 197.5 x 122.5 cm overall (detail) Penrhos College
·ALYSSA·
My narrative explores the journey of displaced people as they risk their lives to escape violence in their homeland. A woman is shown walking across a map of the world, only carrying what is most valuable to her: her son. Referencing the work of Western Australian artist Amanda Shelsher, I constructed my sculptural form in terracotta clay, using a combination of slab and coiling techniques. I applied black oxide and various coloured slips.
BILLINGTON·
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Time is ticking 2017 watercolour on paper 58 x 40.5 cm Geraldton Senior College
·EMILY·
My work comments on our wasteful society that is unable to escape its consumerist habits. The shop front signs in my piece reference Jardim Gramacho in Brazil, one of the largest landfill sites on the planet; the Chinese city of Guiyu, used as an electronic waste site; and The Great Pacific Gyre, a huge floating garbage patch. These are amongst largest rubbish dumps in the world. I want my audience to understand that what we are doing now is not enough and that without some serious changes the outcome is disastrous for the planet.
BROADHURST·
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Imperilled 2017 pyrography on Tuart wood, projected digital image three parts: 38 x 39.8 x 3 cm; 38.3 x 38.8 x 3 cm; 41.6 x 39 x 3 cm Geraldton Senior College
·TAMARA·
By using the images of native Australian animals placed in front of the crosshair of a gun, my work highlights the decline and extinction of our native flora and fauna. Australia has one of the highest rates of species extinction. It is not until we jeopardise our nation’s emblems like the three marsupials depicted in my work, that we begin to stop taking them for granted.
BYRNES·
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Coexistence 2017 fine pigment ink and watercolour on paper 81 x 150 cm (framed); 58 x 40 cm (sight) Perth Modern School
·ALANNAH·
CHAN·
My work is a cultural exploration of my Australian identity as a second-generation Chinese-Australian. I am highly influenced by Ah Xian and Danie Mellor aesthetically and conceptually. I have alluded to Chinese ceramics, using distinct blue decoration through the expression of a detailed and intricate combination of fine blue pigment ink and watercolour. Through this style, I have personally interpreted this particular aesthetic to communicate nature as being informed by my cultural values.
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Valori familiarie 2017 acrylic on canvas 61 x 76 cm Woodvale Secondary College
·TAYLA·
‘Valori familiarie’ means family values in Italian. The title alludes to the idea that in Italian culture families value food as it brings everyone closer together. My intention was to make the viewer feel like they were part of a family feast by manipulating perspective so the viewer feels like they are sitting at the table. I wanted the work to be a symbol of warmth and love. I hope to create intense feelings of hunger to encourage the viewer to want to be involved and share my family’s values.
CINQUINA·
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Penthesilea 2017 fabric, thread and thermoplastic 105 x 50 x 16 cm St Stephen’s School, Duncraig In June of last year, my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. I wanted to respond to this in my work. I hand-stitched the enlarged cancer ribbon with ancient Greek Amazonian warriors; a tribe of women lead by Queen Penthesilea, who would cut off one of their breasts to better shoot arrows in battle. This is contrasted with a series of women battling breast cancer, a disease that often calls for the removal of the breasts. By drawing the comparison between them and with the action of breast removal, I wanted to show the strength of cancer survivors.
·NIKKI·
COLEMAN·
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Assimilation and integration (Australia’s coloured minority) 2017 digital video 3:24 minutes (still) Hampton Senior High School
·SEBASTIAN·
Inspired by the social commentary of West Australian Indigenous artist Julie Dowling, this work is an exploration of my own cultural identity as a proud Noongar man in a contemporary context. I now hold the responsibility of passing on the knowledge and culture that has been shared with me by the elders to the next generation to ensure that our culture remains the oldest continually practiced on earth.
CRITTI-SCHNAARS·
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Invasion of culture 2017 watercolour pencil on MDF 60 x 90 cm John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School
·JENNIFER·
My drawing focuses on the cultural divide that I feel exists between my traditional Asian heritage and Western culture and technology that are also part of my life. My mother believes I am rebellious towards the traditional eastern values. By standing in traditional Thai robes in my contemporary kitchen I hope to create a contrast in my drawing symbolising how my mother’s ideals feel out of place in my life. My work was influenced by the drawings of Emily Artful as I was drawn to her stylised approach to drawing.
DOMAN·
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Self-portrait in pinks and blues 2017 gouache on plywood 90 x 70 cm Comet Bay College
·BRINDY·
The blending of pinks and blues—colours still used in Western cultures as symbols of gender —I use as a metaphor for how strangers will often read my gender in different ways, based on whether they categorise characteristics of my androgynous appearance as either ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’. I encourage the viewer to become conscious of and challenge their practice of categorising the physical attributes of a person in this way.
DONOVAN·
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We need 2017 ceramic and timber 39 x 26 x 26 cm St George’s Anglican Grammar School
·GEMMA·
My piece We need aims to bring to light the destruction and habitat loss caused by the greed of humans. With reference to Grayson Perry, who is famous for his controversial ceramic pieces, I want to bring to light the pain and struggle that the environment is forced through, and the materialistic greed of those who consider themselves above the environment they live in. Whether it is a road, a house or shops people are willing to completely destroy a thriving ecosystem to attain their needs.
EDWARDS·
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The horse with no name 2017 oil on canvas 91 x 121 cm Kalamunda Senior High School
·GRACE·
This piece was created to raise awareness and highlight the darker side of racing. The names, barely visible, represent the fallen horses over the last year due to racing-related injuries. The grey-blue wash represents media attempts to cover up these negative truths. The statue of Makybe Diva—an Australian Melbourne Cup champion, which I once visited as a child in Port Lincoln—symbolises the prime interest of the racing industry: glory before truth, winning at all costs.
FOWLER·
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#lost 2017 gold foil, paint pen, gouache, watercolour, acrylic and spray paint on paper two parts: 76 x 57 cm each Emmanuel Catholic College
·JANNELLE·
#lost is a depiction of two people facing away from each other, in two different worlds. The left panel shows a girl who has let technology take over her inner life. Her eyes are closed as she can’t see the nature around her. The right panel shows a boy who is lost in the galaxy, a world of technology surrounds him, representing the reality of my generation. I was inspired by the artist Del Kathryn Barton with her use of bright colours and the fast, chaotic movement.
GARCIA·
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Pecking order 2017 acrylic on board 46 x 61 cm St Mary’s Anglican Girls School
·ANGELICA·
The work Pecking order comments on animals as a part of human consumption. It depicts various animals including a duck, chicken and octopus in a glorified style. Depending on the customs and cultural background of the audience, they will either see it as a delicacy or provoke a disgusted response. With the use of pre-production photography, I painted a Chinese restaurant, with the composition encapsulating the integration of humans and the glazed ducks in the foreground.
GARLAND·
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Iwanoff series: Paganini and Schmidt-Lademann 2017 mixed media on paper two parts: 72 x 72 cm (framed); 72 x 96 cm (framed) Balcatta Senior High School My intention in creating this work was to showcase and present the locally treasured and architecturally renowned homes designed by the architect Iwan Iwanoff. While these homes are scattered amongst the Perth metropolitan area, my work focuses on the Paganin and Schmitt-Laderman buildings and their ornamentation and playful emphasis on light. The prints I created use a variety of media and are influenced by local artist Leon Pericles and British artist David Hockney. The diptych comments on Perth’s multicultural history and the migrants’ contribution.
·ARI·
GILLESPIE·
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Skater trash 2017 oil on wood two parts: 84 x 19 X 1 cm overall Santa Maria College
·ISABELLA·
My piece aims to break the negative stereotypes pinned to alternative sub-cultures, including a blend of skateboarders, tattooed people, punks and graffiti artists, and instead liberating the unique qualities and experiences each hold. The symbolism of bold, graffiti-like tattoos projecting words such as ‘CRUEL’ and ‘LONELY’ convey the permanence of inner conflict and discrimination pinned against the alternative subcultures.
HARMAN·
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Crow’s call 2017 mixed media on paper on MDF 118 x 90 cm Manea Senior College Crow’s call comments on environmental decay through the image of a degrading bird, portrayed as being one with its natural surroundings. The issue of environmental degradation is relevant in the world we live in, as we face the destruction of ecosystems, habitats, the extinction of wildlife and pollution. The crow’s demise is a symbol for environmental destruction and stands as a visual metaphor for the degradation occurring in our environment all over the world today.
·UMA·
HARRIS·
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I sacrificed therefore I can 2017 oil on plywood two parts: 91 x 61 cm each Applecross Senior High School
·LAUREN·
My portraits explore contemporary discrimination against women and how women of today are still fighting for women’s rights, like the British Suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst did. The phrase ‘I sacrificed, therefore I can,’ is appropriated from Barbara Kruger’s work Untitled (I Shop Therefore I Am), 1987. I have reworded her original phrase to instead refer to the fact that Pankhurst fought hard for women’s rights which we enjoy now.
HAWLEY·
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Four places, one face 2017 clay scratchboard four parts: 71 x 56 cm each Swan Christian College
·GRACE·
The idea conveyed in the work is about multiculturalism, with a particular focus on women. I have used four different segments of four different faces from different women around the world. I selected portraits of women wearing culturally significant adornments such as a floral hairpiece or tribal face paint designs, so that each is culturally unique. I wanted to showcase the wide-ranging beauty of different ethnicities of women around the world, as well as to appreciate the many cultures.
HOGAN·
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Monkey bars 2017 oil paint on plywood and pine frame 179 x 115.4 x 69 cm overall Mercedes College
·ADELINA·
HOLIL·
The purpose of Monkey bars is to reveal the dark secrets of child exploitation behind the production of our clothing. I have constructed a paradox of the exploited children in playful poses on a clothes rack depicting what they should be doing: playing. The clothing designs, depicting chains, ropes and graffiti, symbolise how these children are forced to be slaves and the torture they endure. The placement of the hangers emulate monkey bars; a typical childhood memory they may never have.
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Home 2017 gouache on watercolour paper, print on card and Perspex two parts: 38 x 50 x 6 cm each Methodist Ladies College Home explores the evolution of housing in Perth over recent years and questions whether our newly adopted ‘modern’ style of living has taken away the essence of family in the home. I am intrigued by the move towards more abstract style of living spaces and wonder if they foster the same kind of family environment in which I grew up. I wanted to emphasise the richness of older style homes versus what I perceive to be the hollowness of modern housing.
·MADI·
HORLER·
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Food throne 2017 watercolour on paper 102 x 66 cm Irene McCormack Catholic College
·TAEGAN·
My work aims to comment on the ignorance many people, including myself, have in regards to the amount of food we consume. I have portrayed myself surrounded by products I personally consume on a regular basis. Quite often the realisation of quantity doesn’t hit us, until everything is piled up in front of us. The vibrant colours and crosshatching in my work were influenced by the watercolour works of Marija Tiurina.
HOWELLS ·
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Are we there yet? 2017 acrylic on canvas three parts: 51 x 51 cm; 51 x 76 cm; 51 x 20 cm Mindarie Senior College My work Are we there yet? is the depiction of my childhood travels between my parents’ home countries. I felt at times like I was bouncing between the Philippines, South Korea and Australia. Only now as a seventeen-yearold do I really appreciate the cultures I have been able to experience that have shaped me.
·TINSEY·
JONES·
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The desk 2017 wood, steel, paper, paint and ink 90 x 60.3 x 86 cm overall Bunbury Catholic College The desk is a representation of the dread and anguish caused by the pressure of deciding a life path after graduating from school. I have used an authentic school desk covered by my own ripped up pages of schoolwork and illustrations to express the chaotic state of the stressed and disoriented mind. I try to portray this overwhelming turmoil through parody and satire. I have derived influence from the artist Lef Lurk.
·JAMES·
KEDDIE ·
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Monopáti (Greek for pathway) 2017 oil on canvas 91 x 61 cm Kalamunda Senior High School
·ANJA·
Monopáti, explores the phenomenon of the complexity of Western history, being defined as a single path from the period of the Ancient Greeks. The earthy hues emphasise the notion of the origin and the earth at its core, further reinforcing this idea. The surrounding intensely bright sky, portrays the juxtaposition between the beginning and the infinite future; how knowledge of Western society has advanced and is progressing through time. This piece expresses a significant pathway, extending hope and endless revelations.
KOVACEVIC·
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Melancholia dreaming 2017 oil paint on canvas and Perspex three parts: dimensions variable Carmel High School The purpose of my piece is to use art to bring to attention that colonisation is not just a tragedy of the past, but has continuing effects on the lives and culture of Indigenous Australians today. I sought to present a symbolic representation of an Indigenous Australian, Clifton Bieundurry, in order to challenge the complacent and ignorant attitude of white Australia toward our colonial past, which I believe is preventing the progress of Indigenous rights and recognition today.
¡TAL¡
LEVIN¡
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Like father, like son 2017 pencil on paper two parts: 101 x 104 cm each St Mark’s Anglican Community School
·NIKITA·
My work was created to show the powerful connection between my father and me. A commentary on the importance of our heritage and the gratitude I have towards him for the obstacles he overcame. The teardrop on my face conveys the emotion I felt during the process of creating this artwork and links to the past experiences of my father. We both wear his original Russian army cap with the context now so very different. I was inspired by the hyper-realistic drawings of Malaysian artist Monica Lee.
MARCHENKOV·
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Collector’s edition 2017 chalk pastels on paper 79 x 99 cm (sight) John Curtin College of the Arts My work is a collection of people’s one word opinions of me. I did this to express how highly we value other people’s opinions of us and how long their comments can stay with us.
·ASHLEY·
MARONEY ·
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Am I pretty? 2017 digital video 3:57 minutes Great Southern Grammar
·BAYLEY·
Narcissus gazed into the pool and stared unto death. My work focuses on the danger of the pursuit of perfection. I built the bathroom, a place of perfecting and scrutinising our bodies, and performed in it. The issues of the body spread over the walls as I painted, and spread onto my body. Like Narcissus, the character is consumed by their image and slowly loses themselves in it. I attempt to show the problems of young people’s self-image. Performance documented by Michael Hemings.
MARSH·
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Untitled 2017 acrylic polymer paint, wood, textiles and copper wire 170 x 80 x 70 cm John Curtin College of the Arts My work is a self-portrait about being lost in one’s identity, social anxiety and the barriers one puts up for fear of being rejected in social situations. My garment shows what I see and what others see of me.
·JOEL·
MCKEOWN·
70
Wonder 2017 gouache on watercolour paper, undyed linen 22 x 19 x 1 cm John Curtin College of the Arts
·ELEANOR·
This work is about memory and impermanence. Each miniature drawing is a glimpse into another life and time, that of my parents’ before I was born. Their old photographs intrigued me, their lives so familiar but distant from my own. The book format is intended to create a physical intimacy with these precious memories.
MOORE·
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Light from the shadows 2017 paper cut, light boxes and digital audio and video three parts: two at 62.5 x 57.2 x 11.1 cm; duration 00:45 seconds St Mary’s Anglican Girls School Last year I visited Tuol Sleng Genoside Museum in Phnom Penh, the site where thousands of intellectuals and artists were tortured or executed in the late 1970s by the Khmer Rouge. Viewing their portraits was an emotional experience and my work highlights the importance of art and culture in the healing of Cambodian society. I drew inspiration from viewing intricate masks and characters at a Sbek Thom theatre (Khmer shadow theatre) which has been preserved for future generations.
·ELLA·
MOORE·
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Despair 2017 acrylic on canvas with Perspex 153 x 123 cm Mandurah Baptist College My work addresses the topic of body image. Society associates body image with looking at their own reflection and judging what they see staring back at them. I used a Perspex layer over the painting to act as metaphorical mirror. This has created the appearance that the individual is leaning into the mirror, as though she is succumbing to society’s impossible standards. It is as if with the idealism of beauty and body image, she is sinking into the belief that she herself doesn’t meet those standards.
·ADAM·
NEWSOME·
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Jalan Penang 2017 colour pencil and watercolour on paper two parts: 54 x 75 cm; 52 x 36 cm Corpus Christi College
·RACHEL·
‘When you drink water, think of its source; gratitude for blessings and their well-spring. Don’t forget where your happiness comes from. Be grateful for all your blessings!’ This Chinese proverb about never forgetting your roots, inspired me to reflect on my birthplace of Malaysia in my work. After moving to Australia eleven years ago, I have a profound fear of growing apart from my Asian identity and cultural connection.
RAPHAEL·
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Uncovered 2017 digital print on paper three parts: 88 x 58 cm each (sight) Presbyterian Ladies College My work is intended to be a statement piece about the way we view our own bodies. The human body is so complex; there are over six hundred muscles and up to hundred billion nerve cells. It is a vehicle for movement and sustaining life, yet we overlook the beauty of this function in order to perfect our outwards appearances. I painted each subject over three days and over a number of hours, making sure to finish at the same time each day so that the lighting would be consistent when I photographed them.
·BRIE·
RATTEN·
80
Mind over matter 2017 oil on MDF two parts: 123 x 122 cm each Santa Maria College
·KIMBERLEY·
LIN·
Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen. I aim to discuss the struggle that comes with great responsibilities, presenting an individual positioned to overcome this. As a youth, I try to understand this through visual expression and interpretation. Introspection, angst and the intent to ‘break free’ is communicated in the use of tone and the colour scheme, further emphasised by centralising the subject against a plain background.
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Manipulation symphony 2017 digital animation 2:12 minutes (still) Mundaring Christian College My work Manipulation symphony presents the idea that the abundance of media is affecting our way of viewing the world. It represents how—in a world where everyone can voice their points of view—we begin to lose our own. Like the figures in the animation, we find ourselves trapped in the thick dark symphony of digital confusion. My work links a self-composed soundtrack with a digital animation in order to establish meaning inspired by the works of William Kentridge.
·ALEX·
RAVEN·
84
Absurdity of exclusion 2017 coloured pencil on plywood three parts: 30 x 23 cm; 30 x 40 cm; 45 x 61 cm John Wollaston Anglican Community School
·GEORGIA·
‘Segregation’ means the action or state of setting someone or something apart from others, being isolated based on race or religion. My focus was to comment on the absurdity and incongruity of exclusion. Conceptually inspired by Shepard Fairey, the idea of mixing human life with that of the animal kingdom helps to highlight the absurdity of separating others based on outward appearance. To me it is unfair and punishing and it should be something we are side-stepping away from in the twenty-first century.
RICKARD·
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Drowning tragedy 2017 acrylic ink, felt tip pen and white chalk on paper 52 x 73 cm (sight) La Salle College
·ANNABELLE·
RING·
My work explores the pressure of school as something that I accept calmly, but also how I am drowning in it, as the stress of it invades my personal space. Drawing on inspiration from Hope Gangloff’s emotive use of line and colour, I have captured myself within a familiar setting—my home—contrasted with water flooding it. The titles of the books floating around me allude to the stress being both situational and self-inflicted as I struggle to find ways to control it.
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Inheritance 2017 acrylic on MDF two parts: 56 x 100 cm each St Mary’s Anglican Girls School
·MICHAELA·
While travelling on my third community service trip to remote Indigenous communities in Central Australia, and then to Laos, I experienced undeniably similar stories told by these two different people. Both told of dangerous legacies left by foreign powers with which the local communities must then cope alone. In Australia this was the case with the British who tested nuclear bombs at Maralinga (South Australia) and in Laos, the dumping of unexploded cluster bombs by the Unites States during the Vietnam War.
SAVAGE·
90
Look closer 2017 gouache and watercolour on paper three parts: 22 x 85 cm each (sight) Churchlands Senior High School
·MICHELLE·
SHEAN·
Three hours a day on public transport often causes immense boredom and, to combat this, I find myself in a world of my own, which challenges me to see the unexpected amongst the ordinary and the interesting amongst the mundane. I find that a stranger on a train can be anything if the mind wills it. On your next train ride you’ll rarely see a dragon-tailed dog or a man with elf ears. However, you may find something unexpected, that captures your attention and imagination, if you only look closer.
92
Rutendo, ‘Faith’ 2017 mixed media and oil on canvas two parts: 91 x 122 cm; 23 x 36 cm (sight) Corpus Christi College The aim of my piece was to highlight events in global history which have been overlooked. One such event was the 1904 Herero and Namaqua genocide, which occurred in the south-west African country of Namibia. My piece was named after my friend Rutendo, whose name translates from Shona to mean ‘Faith’. She features in the lower left hand corner of the composition.
·YAN NI·
SNG·
94
The innocence of a child 2017 clay, paint, wool, wood, hot glue, buttons, fine liner, paper, metal, grass, felt and gloss coating spray 78 x 16.8 x 16.8 cm Duncraig Senior High School The innocence of a child entwines ideologies with reality, exploring the way in which we as a society force such harsh notions onto children, belittling them to mere stereotypes before they’re even born. Through reflecting such out-dated beliefs on the blank canvases of children was I able to amplify the absurdity of negative first impressions drawn from one’s race—I sought to bring light to how ludicrous such preconceptions are.
·JESSIE·
STOVES·
96
Morning ritual 2017 oil on canvas three parts: 50 x 61 cm each Iona Presentation College Majority of women feel that, before they can appear in public, they have to modify themselves to fit society’s idea of the ideal woman. The morning routine becomes a ritual that forces women to amend their external selves in order to be seen as functional members of society. My work aims to reveal the process that women feel they have to undergo in order to appear this way. I was primarily influenced by Edward Hopper, whose paintings also portrayed women seen in private moments.
·ZOË·
SYDNEY·
98
Nightlife 2017 photographic print on aluminium four parts: 40 x 59 cm each Applecross Senior High School
·SOPHIE·
TOMIC·
Nightlife is a visual exploration of Perth’s evolving cityscape and the lively environment of Perth after dark. Perth has been changing and growing over the past decade and I wanted to capture the city’s newfound energy. At night the streets become supernatural, the sun comes down and the lights turn on. The city is re-energised. In my concept I have captured the life and intensity of the city at night, using light to reflect the vibrant busy atmosphere of Perth.
100
Untitled 2017 wood 85 x 49.7 x 14 cm Carmel High School This piece comments on the effects of overpopulation and population density on the environment and social boundaries. Growing up in Zimbabwe, I spent my early childhood playing in nature. This has encouraged me to connect with nature and wood in particular. My work uses the materials I love in order to convey my relationship with the physical environment and my desire to create connection within an urban context. The ability of nature to reclaim the world is a reminder of the ephemerality of existence.
·RILEY·
TWYMAN·
102
Leaders 2017 digital print on paper two parts: 84 x 59 cm each Eastern Goldfields College The most toxic combination in the world is ... the certainty of being right and a monopoly of power. —William Kentridge.
·BRANDON·
Leaders is a visual exploration of what can happen when the world’s leaders are ignorant of the world and of other peoples. The work focuses on leadership, especially when it’s abused or put in the hands of people not fit to have it. The point I am attempting to convey is about the potential volatility and consequence of stubborn leadership.
WATSON·
104
My red shoes 2017 paper-cut and watercolour on paper 100 x 70 cm Great Southern Grammar
·BRIDIE·
My work refers to the fairytale ‘The red shoes’ as a metaphor for the chaotic, work-driven mindset of Western culture. The labour-intensive technique of paper-cut and the overwhelming detail links my critique of the obsession with ‘doing’ rather than ‘being’. My method of making this work links to the gruesome outcome of the tale, where a girl’s greed for showing off shiny red shoes is punished by condemnation of endless dancing even when she wants to stop, leading her to eventually amputate her feet. My own silhouette is used, expressing my fear of this symbolic brutal loss of recognising the right values in my own life, while the blank face creates emptiness; in contrast to the Western societal chaos.
WEAVER·
106
Malleable memory 2017 acrylic on glass 86 x 63 cm South Coast Baptist College I am interested to see how our childhoods are reflected in our later lives; the things we love and the objects, places and people that evoke a sense of nostalgia. I aimed to symbolically represent the inner child and the vivid imagination that we have as children, which some individuals keep throughout their lives. As we grow older we lose, and even suppress, this curiosity and love for the little things.
·LOUISE·
WILSON·
108
Homesickness of the sick 2017 pencil and Artline on timber and paper 75 x 76.5 x 5 cm Mercedes College My work is a reflection of the bond I have with my sister and the longing we both feel towards our country of birth, Canada. The connection we feel towards people and places in our lives is a connection that is impossible for me to put into words, so I have expressed it through art. My sense of home is defined by both the people in my life and places I hold dear; I am beginning to see that I may not get both.
·SOPHIE·
WOODS·
110
What lies beneath 2017 oil on canvas two parts: 122 x 91 cm each Seton Catholic College
·LAURYN·
My diptych is a tonal piece that alludes to a façade of one’s self. The all-encompassing fabric that engulfs the composition creates the illusion of the human form. It expresses how we put up walls and create a front that we put forward to the world. The sheet represents what others see of us and how underneath our ‘security blanket’ our true self is protected. My work reveals what lies beneath the physical form and suggests there is always more to a person.
WRIGHTSTONE·
112
The stage the audience 2017 oil on canvas two parts: 91 x 122 cm; 61 x 122 cm Applecross Senior High School
·KITMAN·
The twenty-first century has been a period of technological evolution, where people are now communicating faster, but physical interactions are often neglected. The intention of my work is to encourage the preservation of familial ties by depicting a celebratory atmosphere of a Chinese family gathering. The repetition of circular shapes is symbolic of the Chinese belief of wholeness and connectivity.
YEUNG·
114
Self-reflection 2017 oil on canvas 45 x 45 cm Shenton College
·MICCA·
This year I have been researching and experimenting with different techniques of oil painting. I enjoy creating works that include both figures and landscape elements. This work has two figures facing each other on a boat within a pristine setting. Some of the surrounding landscape features are both realistic and surreal. The girl in the boat is based on aspects of myself, but the work is not a self-portrait. I often draw on my imagination to create works.
YOUNG·
116
The guitarist 2017 acrylic on canvas 121 x 90 cm Hale School
·THOMAS·
YU·
For this work, my artist influences were Spanish cubist artist Pablo Picasso and French cubist artist Jean Metzinger. I was influenced by the use of rich and vibrant colours in Metzinger’s work and the use of fragmentation in Picasso’s work. I was mainly influenced by them because of the visual appeal of their works. I selected a person playing a guitar to represent my interest in art and music.
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