Biennial Agendo Art Award and Exhibition 2021

Agendo

In August, Camberwell Grammar held the eighth Biennial Agendo Art Award and Exhibition for young emerging artists. While Covid restrictions meant that the event was held virtually, the range and standard of submissions was excellent.

Agendo is an opportunity for young emerging artists to promote and expose their work and talent. In addition, this substantial award recognises the continued commitment and individual contribution that all young artists make to our community. With a non-acquisitive prize of $10,000, sponsored by the generous Crone Family, a work is also selected for purchase to remain in the permanent collection of Camberwell Grammar School.

‘The Arts have always held an important place within our School, and we have always encouraged our students to explore their own artistic dimensions. This competition represents an attempt to reach out to the world beyond the School and to support artistic endeavour of young adults in a practical and useful way,’ said Dr Paul Hicks.

This year, the three judges, Dr Robert Haysom, Mr Kevin Boyd and Mr Philip Davey, were unanimous in their decision when choosing Jessica Coldrey’s Pet Drone #1 as the winning artwork. They shared their enthusiasm for the work with an appreciation of its clever concept and elements of the absurd fused with society’s contemporary obsession with emotionally loaded modern technology. We spoke to Jessica about her winning piece.

Winning artwork, Pet Drone #1 by Jessica Coldrey

DESCRIBE THE THOUGHT AND PROCESS BEHIND YOUR PROJECT RETRO FUTURISM AND THE WINNING PIECE PET DRONE #1.

In Retro Futurism, I attempted to highlight the absurdity of our relationships with technology in the present by reflecting on the space-age futurism of the 1960s. The Pet Drone photographs allowed me to recontextualise drones from the frightening, military context they are often portrayed in and experiment with what a domestic drone might look like. Our emotional relationships with technology fluctuate over history, presenting as irrational fear or a sickly utopian optimism. Through the absurd elements in the photograph, like my beehive hair, drone leash and glittering space dress, I tried to bring some humour into the composition to help viewers reflect on that.

WHY DID YOU SELECT THESE PARTICULAR PIECES FOR YOUR AGENDO ENTRY?

Through art school, I focused on sculpture. However, I felt that using photography would be the best way to convey my Retro Futurism concept. I’d just completed my Art-Tech Residency at Yarra Ranges Tech School, Lilydale, when I entered the Agendo Art Prize. I was proud of the series because it conveyed my passion for technology alongside my interest in social history. Working between the art and engineering sectors, it’s often hard to strike a balance where I feel that a project represents my interests as a whole. Retro Futurism achieved, to me, what my previous work didn’t – marrying these two worlds together in a new way. I chose to submit two of my photos from the series because I felt like they represented me as a creative, and I wanted to share them more widely.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

It just so happened that the opening day of the Agendo Art Prize was the day of my first laparoscopy surgery, where I was diagnosed with endometriosis. My next art series will explore the challenges people with uteruses have communicating endometriosis pain symptoms through fashion, robotics, and botanic life.

Last week, I was awarded a grant as a 2021 Laureate of the Australian-French Association for Research and Innovation. This will enable me to travel to France for the project and work from the art studio in the Botanic Gardens Marnay sur Seine. I’m looking forward to collaborating with researchers and organisations worldwide to advance the important task of raising endo awareness through improved visual communication strategies.

CAN YOU SHARE SOME INSIGHT INTO WHAT YOUR FUTURE ASPIRATIONS ARE AND HOW ART WILL PLAY A ROLE?

I’ve had parallel interests in art and engineering for several years now, which I hope to continue throughout my future career. Later this year, I’ll be commencing a Masters in Humanitarian Engineering with Management at Warwick University, England, with the support of the 2021 Victorian Government John Monash Scholarship. Here, I hope to study how managing infrastructure projects in more human-centred ways can support future innovation and sustainability.

In the future, I’d love to run an interdisciplinary lab or research institute that leverages creative innovators from different fields. This format could help solve future challenges across the academic, government, and engineering sectors. I think art provides a fundamental perspective in world changes and that artists are often the visionaries of society. I want to provide a platform for my work and others to invigorate positive global action by decreasing polarisation. This could help spark more future-focused conversations about important issues like climate change, inequality, and post-pandemic health.

I believe my artwork helps me be a more creative, innovative, and inclusive STEM advocate who thinks outside of the box. Similarly, I find that my engineering work invigorates my art practice with fresh ideas and exciting methodologies. To continue both passions simultaneously would be a great privilege, and I’m confident that the support of the Agendo Prize fund will help me realise that.