FOREWORD BY CEDAR RANKIN-CHEEK

Art is not effortless, there is no artist nor designer that creates with ultimate ease and clarity, and the university is just one stage in this journey. Entering the world of academia as an artist can be difficult, it transforms and tests prior understandings of practice and the work we make. University is not without conflict, but the conflicts and evolutions we face as artists and designers, ultimately culminate into refined practices and the wonderful and challenging work which we see in this exhibition.

I started out my studies with no intention to major in Fine Arts, yet I remember distinctly taking a class in Biological Art unit led by Dr. Ionat Zurr through the ever-inspiring SymbioticA, and was immediately challenged. There was a feeling that I could really create something amazing in this environment that fostered critique and hard work, challenging me to push myself, my art and my writing. Studying art and design is gruelling, it tests one’s love for art and art making. Honing your craft in an academic institution is not without disagreements and frustrations and the hurdles faced often cause disillusion and feel unfair, especially when your studies and art are so tied to the self and experiences, but despite this, these frustrations can be transformed to create a stronger practice and a stronger artist.

Perhaps a well-trodden discourse but creating work in this present time is not easy, art often feels powerless, and it is difficult to gather the energy and creativity required to make work. The more art I create and the more study I do, there is a sense of urgency and need to create important and impactful work that continues to intensify. I often question my decision to study art and sometimes find myself looking to different careers and pathways that are more ‘important’, but this urgency that I feel for change is born out of my practice, my art and those who have supported and inspired me throughout my studies. Great art is hard to come by without work, critique and questioning, and this reflection that art provokes is so important to the self and to the community. It is wonderful to see the work produced this year filled with the energy and urgency needed to provoke the thought and feelings we all need.

The works you see in this exhibition are the imprints of immensely hard work performed by artists, designers and creatives. They represent hours of work, physical labour and research, a journey embedded with urgency and importance, as important as the artwork itself. It is a joy to see the works produced by these emerging artists and creatives who have pushed through the past year and pieced together their practices and experiences to create works that feels urgent, that feels important and extremely powerful.

Cedar Rankin-Cheek, Fine Arts (Honours), 2022

Image: Cedar Rankin-Cheek, Beige-ness, 2022, found objects, upholstery fabric, thread, glue, cardboard, wood, wire, foam, PET fill.