ARTWORK & STATEMENTS

Aidan Macrae

Aether

Enamel & Ink on Fibreglass

Aristotle discussed many theories; on life, happiness and the natural world. My work Aether focuses on his ideas concerning the four base natural elements – Earth, Wind, Fire & Water. Each animal embedded into my design contains elements representative of one of these fundamental aspects, recontexturalised into contemporary linear pattern.

Bethany Kennedy

Sweet/Sorrow

Mixed Media on Canvas

Greek creation myth divides humankind into three genders, androgynous, male & female, in a primeval state of eternal bliss. Typically, mankind grew insolent in this idyllic state and refused to properly honor the gods. As punishment, we were split in two. My work explores this moment of divine retribution; two figures caught between primordial states. We exist in a world where completion is not guaranteed.

Aaron McLellan

Dasein

Acrylic on Canvas

My work Dasein draws upon Heidegger’s seminal Being and Time. His existential ideas question the way in which we define ourselves - we as mortals, are "stretched along" between birth and death, and thrown into our world and its possibilities. On the other hand, the way we access to this world and these possibilities is always via history and tradition.

Colby McMIllan

Sense of Place

Graphite on Paper

Sense of Place creates a symbolic relationship between a person’s identity and their connection to a specific geographic area. I feel we form our individuality through experience – both personally and through that of our past. The land upon which we live has helped to define how the Earth’s various cultures have developed. We, as humans, are but a reflection of the land we call home.

Caitlyn Emmington

Quintessence

Mixed Media on Wood

My work aims to explore the distinction between Death & Life; it investigates how we define our existence, linking to Sartre’s “existence precedes essence’ theory. It also addresses the paradoxical situation that stems from our habit to continually question our existence, despite our awareness that we will never receive a definitive answer.

Peter Best

The Descent of Silence

Photographic  print

I am captivated by the sense of stillness that one can experience out in the open environment, regardless of what our physical senses tell us. It is this that my photograph aims to capture – a moment of clarity, a bubble of calm.  The Descent of Silence was taken early in 2013, in Scone, rural New South Wales. My photographic philosophy aims to capture more than just what the camera is capable of.

Jacob Thirkettle

Isolation

The idea behind Isolation is drawn from today’s generation - my generation and our seemingly hopeless attitude towards our daily life and where our decisions will take us.  At certain points our lives we all ask the questions; “What is the meaning of life? Who am I? and most importantly, “What is my purpose in life?” It’s said that over 20% of teenagers will suffer from teen depression or anxiety before we reach adulthood. We as a society have yet to fully comprehend with this existential issue. 

Ashleigh Fuller

Embryos

Mixed media, digital images

Embryos was created to unsettle. It features a fictional character inspired by two different animals. My purpose with this piece was to flagrantly disregard conventions of life and natural order, exploring genetic modification in today’s modern world.

 Grace Fuller

Empty Clothes

Mixed Media, Digital Photo

Coverings are all around us; whether physical or intangible they all have a purpose or convention that when flagrantly disregarded creates intriguing, provoking, eye-catching works.

Clothes are fundamental forms of coverings which are used constantly all around the world. Designed to provide protection, warmth and decency; clothes are agreed to be necessity for living.

‘Empty clothes’ is a two-part piece that flagrantly disregards the conventions of this covering. Leaving just the seams to resemble its original form, these works neglect clothes’ practicality and belonging.  An eerie lack of purpose extends to the viewer, as the empty clothes fall stiff from a coat hanger and lie lifeless on a bed.

Jade Stehr

Disease

Mixed Media

Disease destroys the human body and the brain trapping them into a different world that no one knows of. Obsessive Compulsive disorder is a disease the traps the mind into a habit or routine that takes individuals hours to regain focus. Even though this disease can be developed at any age it is predominantly seen in teenagers, young adults then again in old age. Dementia is a disease that destroys the mind, losing memories of past events, the present and their whereabouts.  Most people find that people who have had OCD sometime in their life with then develop dementia.

With my pieces of artwork I have chronicled the torment of being trapped and the repetition of OCD.

 Monique Sullivan

Electrical Display

Mixed Media

I have always found trade jobs interesting, such as carpentry, painting, plastering, earth moving, electrical and concreting. Stereo-typically these are male occupations; skilled trade jobs are considered to be practical life skills. Remarkably trade work is a modest profession; the houses we live in and the lights we turn on are all built and installed by tradesman. It isn’t often that my dad is home working on circuit boards, lighting and computer generated cad plans. Much to his annoyance I tend to follow him around and look over his shoulder whenever he is home working. Dad has been an electrician since he was 23 so almost 30 years; his ability to be able to fix and solve any problem regarding these trades fascinates me. As i ghost him whilst he works it’s an opportunity for me to become like him, to chronicle expertise, to be good at everything I try, create and fix. Over the last few years I have found myself becoming more like him.

For the display table I created, I used an old circuit board deconstructed and various pieces of electrical materials. This piece is a reflection upon my dad’s life’s work as an electrician, by chronicling materials that he uses on a daily basis. From watching my dad I have developed some basic carpentry skills, I electric and hand sanded, puttied gaps, nailed, painted, hand-sawed, measured and drilled; all to create a simple display box out of a window for him.

Hartlee Bonson

Life Circles

Pen and ink on paper

The series of concentric circles portrayed in my work communicate my ideas about time passing and especially how our memories expand and embellish over time. Current thoughts can entwine with memories from our past which builds depth and complexity to how we remember things. The circles within circles conveys the movement ‘in and out’ through time that results when we recall the past bringing it into the present and the’ bands’ of memories created like those formed as a tree grows.

Albert Bell

“Consciousness”

I am fascinated by the subconscious, the soul, identity, and the way they interact to form meaning and beauty, or nonsense in everything and nothing. I am inspired by existentialism, history, language, and nature. My artworks concept is The Self and how it is the way a person views themselves, and includes things like self esteem, self image, family roles, identity, values, religion, occupation, philosophy, goals, or whatever is important to the person and how they views themselves. But my artwork focuses on the ideology of multiple personalities and how it’s reveled through the buildup of stress levels. This stress manifests a personality within the person so the stress does not have to be dealt with. This is evident in most teenagers lives as the stress of studies, family and friends can be at times overbearing.

During the research and planning of my artwork I discovered an artist called “Jen Mann” whose work explores the limitations of ‘man’ and how the simple idea of being ‘wrong’ is death. His work mainly consisted of large-scale superimposed portraits of people; this was the driving force of my artwork as the aesthetic of superimposed images ensnared my work. With this superimposed mindset I began a series of photo-shoots at encompassed my peers posing in different moods and positions. The first was to pose in their ‘normal’ personality this was based on the introvert and extrovert theory (personally I don’t believe people are either one or the other). The second was to pose in their ‘alternate’ personality. All photography’s were taken in a studio setting with lighting. After superimposing the images there were several problems that I encountered.

The main problem I faced was resolving the artwork; many concepts were established such as creating a series of artist books, a concertina of the images, and a floor to ceiling installation. After weeks of experimenting with materials such as canvas, cotton, and print I chose to make a combination of an installation and an artist book the audience can interact with. The images where printed 21x21cm then stitched together, I experimented further with stitching (different colors and styles).

Elijah Bird

Deer Bear Wolf

My work explores the theme of alcohol abuse and the effects that come with it. I found in my research into alcohol that often animals were used to promote and ‘brand’ a particular alcohol product. I have attempted to I portray this sense of ‘branding’ through the three different animals. Each one has an allocated alcohol related symptom. All of these symptoms can be found when alcohol abuse is present. 

Chloe Healey

Fear, factories and feathers

My artwork explores the issue of caged animals and in particular caged chickens. In my artwork I have depicted this through the use of the motif of paper feathers.

I made most of the feathers from black and white pictures of chickens in barns or cages, which have then been experimented over the top of. Some of the materials I used included plain paper feathers with writing over the top in indian ink, gesso primer, polymer gloss varnish, tissue paper and gel medium. I also experimented with copper, which resulted in me making a copper feather and including separate pieces of copper in all of the paper feathers. The copper represents how chickens are trapped in cages and barns behind wire doors that restrict them from their natural instincts. The wooden boards are painted with chalkboard paint and have been written over with a chalk pencil. The text states some of the cruel facts about the lives of chickens being raised in barns and cages. The overall look of the artwork is grungy and dark with black, white and copper tones. The black represents the chickens that are raised in barns or cages and never get to see the outside world and are in the dark for their whole lives. While the white represents the slim chance that if more people are informed about where their eggs are coming from and the conditions that chickens have to endure, that they will think twice about what eggs they are buying as they are also paying for chickens to continue to live in these conditions. 

Katrina Mikhail

Increase Pressure = Decrease Volume

In our everyday lives we are constantly being bombarded with all forms of pressure, creating stress. We experience pressure from our peers, parents, occupation, time, religion, relationships and often the most impacting of all, the pressure that one places upon themselves. Despite creating stress, pressure has both positive and negative impacts, after all, pressure creates diamonds.

The work was resolved by incorporating a variety of materials and textures. The faces were presented with: crackle medium, liquid glass and spray transfers onto cotton. The ‘Increase Pressure = Decrease Volume’ formula was presented through the nailed boards and through screen prints which acted as backgrounds for boards. Furthermore, cans and toothpaste tubes were painted white. This eliminated any advertisements coming through in the work as well as being more visually appealing as the white paints represents purity which is challenged by the red thread, symbolising pressure.

Ophelia

Film by Leah Morehouse

A young girl, vulnerable and on the edge, struggles to maintain her identity. She has been pulled to her wits end, but she is now powerless and the battle is lost, sinking into the very depths of oblivion. Inspired by William Shakespeare’s character; Ophelia of the play; Hamlet, it is a story of insanity and madness, she loses her mind, and drowns herself in a lake, falling to her death. This film is a metaphor of being consumed by whatever the viewer may consider it to be- perhaps peer pressure, depression or social conditioning.

James Cowderoy

Untitled

Graphic photoshop on plywood framed

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be” – May Sarton (2001)

This piece undergoes an explicit self-exploration of my-self, my values and my degrees of separation. Expressing the truth, the frightening and the strange. Through 6 morphed degrees of my-self. 6 different attitudes, attributes and styles have been exploited through a range of correlating mediums to create this work. Such a contrast of ‘my-self’ visually establishes confusion... Who, What and Where am I?

Amy Roberts

Ever changing

Permanent marker illustrations on plywood framed

During an early morning walk to school my thoughts hung over a sentimental yet reflective theme of the individuals surrounding me. I imagined what characteristics an individual would acquire without any human contact throughout their lives. On the surface of plywood I have reflected upon the changes I have undergone whilst growing up amongst others. The portrait of the artist is merely a depiction of who they are; the discernment of the surrounding environment and the changes we have undergone to become who we are in this very moment.

Amy Kim

Journeys of Angst

Digital Media Canvases x 2

If it is not growing, it is dead. Growth is an inevitable part of everyone’s lives that we cannot escape. In one way or another, one must grow in order to take on their journey of life. Just like how one day, you start to struggle to fit into your old clothes, we grow without realization. It is only when we’ve changed so far that we seize to see the image of how much we’ve come; and when we do, moments from your life collages onto an endless canvas, staging the most amazing view you’ve ever seen.

Mitchell Lang

Catching Sight of Myself

Graphic photoshop pictures in frames x 4

When trying to think of a way to represent myself, I was confused; did I really know who I was? I looked deep into myself, to try and think of who I am and to be honest, I couldn’t find the answer, Then I realized that it wasn’t me who made me who I am, it was my family. I see parts of them within me; this is what drew me to the subject of creating a portrait of me, but not just myself or my face but instead how I am myself and why am myself.

Jade Lucy

Dolly’s Nose / Untitled

Pencil drawing, watercolour in Frames x 3

Dolly always knew when it was the right time to come over and sit on my foot. Her nose was the best indicator I had as to how she was feeling. The tiny details of the nose drawing relate to the small commonly overlooked aspects of life, possibly being the ‘early-stage’ symptoms which went unnoticed. The watercolour in the lungs artwork consists of a cancerous nature. The colours clash and consume each other, acting as though they are the cancer. The chewed up tennis ball symbolises old memories. My body of work signifies the end of a journey.

Makani Luske

Lost

Giclee print

In this work the transition between childhood and adulthood is described as a single fluent motion. ‘Lost’ depicts the coming of age of girls, the desire to succumb to this fragment of life and join adulthood, although the enticing desire to rebel remains. The figure is enveloped in the darkness of the unknown and is hidden representing a sense of relation between all girls lost within this time frame. No two girls face the same transition, and this artwork invites the viewer to question this rite of passage and the fantasy and fairy-tales that girls are led to believe and love from childhood distort and darken into reality, leading girls to become lost in a time frame which came with no fairy-tale book to guide them.

Bianca Hinricks

In the Box

Embroidered ‘found’ cloth

Globally, society has presented individuals with roles and ideals that they are expected, and feel obliged, to fulfil. It is this commonality of feeling limited by these roles that causes stereotypes to be formed. Therefore one must become subservient in these roles in order to thrive. These stereotypes have the power to change perceptions of what is seen as art tedious work, or an expression of creativity.

My artwork aims to contradict these stereotypes and create art from things that are usually perceived as work or an 'expression of femininity'. The diamond shapes created by hanging the cubes from a corner are direct representations of the female birth canal. These cubes also have the names Maya Angelou, Anne Waldman, Margaret Atwood, Lyn Hejinian, Alice Walker. These women are figures of empowerment and are people that break the societal stereotype through their common talent of poetry.

Jocelyn Wu

Withered

Silver Jet, Hand-made Paper, Perspex, Ink, Flowers

‘Withered’ is a Vanitas work that records the death of a flower. More broadly it represents a neglect to cherish life. Creating and recording personal memories throughout the various stages of life marks them as significant. What we record, we remember.

Peter Carroll

Homage Suite

Giclee print on canvas, digital video

The recreation of these ‘famous’ original paintings parodies the position and creation of visual images in our society. The simple, reworked images were captured in seconds as opposed to the months, even years, that it took to create the originals. Where the simulcra required alteration of colour or cropping, it was achieved with a simple swipe of a mouse and a click of a button which illustrates the contemporary approach to image construction and its reliance on the tenets of the past.
This work both pays homage to traditional approaches and ridicules them.

Ploy Lervisit                                                                                                                               

                 เกิด แก่ เจ็บ ตาย (Gerd Gae Jeb Dai – to be born, to be old, to be sick, to die)

                                                  Vellum, Joss sticks and tissue paper

                                                                                                                                                                

In the Thai culture where I was raised, Buddhism teaches everyone to become a decent person and guides us to the light no matter how long our tunnels are.

In my artwork, I have utilised the symbols that represent Buddhism, including lotuses and joss sticks. In doing so, I have conveyed the elements of Buddhism to the audience, as well as the lessons the religion teaches its disciples. Starting with the budding lotus, which represents the young generation, vulnerable with still a lot to learn. The lotus goes through a few phases as it blooms, where the message depicted is that we continue learning and experiencing, up to the stage that the lotus fully blossoms. Finally, the last phase of the lotus is its decay. I have created this artwork to express the Buddhist culture as well as my belief that if we walk along the path that Buddha has cast before us, we will all reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

The use of tracing paper in constructing the box represents water, which allows viewers to look through it and see each stage of the lotus' development.

Ben Fowler

“Fins” 
Composite Photoshop ImageA composite image exploring the topic of shark finning. The piece turns the tables and reverses the roles so that the predator becomes the prey. This creates a forced perspective in which the viewer sees and feels what it must be like to be finned, with the human in the image being finned by a shark. This is aided by the shock value and the element of surprise, with the image immediately imprinting itself into the viewers brain, it cannot be unseen.

“Furs”
Composite Photoshop Image

A composite image that explores the topic of bear furring. In this piece the roles are swapped so the predator becomes the prey. This creates a forced perspective in which the viewer sees and feels what it must be like to be furred, with the human in the image being furred by a bear. This is aided by the shock value and the element of surprise, with the image immediately imprinting itself into the viewers brain, it cannot be unseen.

Molly Pryde

Re-Cycled, Re-Invented, Re-Surfersed

Surfers Paradise is famous as a holiday destination, iconic for its beautiful beaches and skyscrapers. “Re-Cycled, Re-Invented, Re-Surfersed” presents two conflicting perspectives of this holiday mecca and I have endeavoured to probe beneath this facade within my work. The natural beauty of the environment is evidenced though the washed up driftwood, symbolic of what Surfers Paradise formerly was. Progress and man’s impact upon the environment has now generated a location where man-made structures dominate, a place that has become tainted and negatively remembered for its unruly nightlife rather than for its former existence. The constant construction and re-development in Surfers Paradise may be an attempt to re-cycle the old and once again, recreate the famous surf culture of yesteryear.

Hannah Pangilinan

Dust to Dust       

Acrylic on board      

Welcome to her world – cylindrical glass her prison as her rickety bones disintegrate into nothingness, trapped, in a headspace of her own making but not her own influence. In the darkness of torture she is imprisoned as she fades to the light, sweet release of death. A bandeau – the only thing that can still cling to her bones – is a part of her, a lingering reminder of her past. To others she appears to be floating. She's okay – not falling. But she's not floating; she is falling and she will be ravaged until her demise. It's only a matter of time.

Louis Green

Justify my Love

Digital on photographic paper

This is a collection of religious/political leaders in a surreal setting that includes Gandhi, Osama Bin Ladin and Mary. I have recontextualised the Madonna setting to foreground the issue of religious fanaticism in today’s society.

Elliot Hinwood

Homage

Ink and pen on Stonehenge paper (four panels)

To answer the great question of what a life is worth (and what a worthwhile life is), stems far too many queries to be answered in one life time. One of these mysteries is whether the absence or addition of certain traits is equal to the value of a life. Many religions seek to proclaim that all life is sacred, and all life is worthwhile, and this theme is addressed within my works. But to me the prospect that some humans who are born, live and die without sacrifice, sweat, worry or thought offends me deeply. These thoughts permeate my works, but at a cost. Knowledge is truly valuable, and secrets should be kept close to the heart. So I seek discourse in my work, meaning that the relationship between my art and the audience behaves more like a conversation than their interpretation. Depending on what my audience has to offer; their views, pains, pleasures or opinions, is what my artworks can reveal to them.

Clara Mendiola

'Evolution'

Digital photos in frames

I chose to do this series of photographs as  I wanted to draw attention to the evolution of a human's life in a relatively short time.  Each stage of  life is influenced by the changes they experience, whether they be bad or good.  The life cycle is shown against a brick wall, a symbol often of restriction or limitation.

Jadyn Turner

Lament of the Eccentric

Digital photos in frames

 “To be beautiful one must be unhurried. Personality is needed. There is too much sameness. The world seems to have only a desire for more of this sameness. To be different is to be alone. I do not like what is average. So I am alone.”

- The Marchesa Luisa Casati.

Throughout time eccentricity has been looked upon in many different ways, disgust, curiosity and admiration.  The public loves to divulge information about these “eccentrics”; they fascinate them. In a series of simple, yet melodramatic self-portraits, I have attempted to capture the spirit or “essence” of these eccentrics.

With the macabre cosmetics of The Marchesa Casati, the veil of Diane Pernet, the anti Gioconda expression of many, Theda Bara’s doughy eyes and the vanity of The Comtesse Castiglione, I hope to provoke thoughts of another time and place within you.

Will Schmarr

Consequences

Welded construction from car parts and alcohol containers.

Creating a life size wheel chair and hospital drip out of different car parts as well as alcohol products seemed an ideal ‘vehicle’ to raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of drink driving . I chose to weld and build a wheel chair and drip to underline a possible consequence of drink driving. The drip and lack of mobility demonstrate where you will end up if you drink drive. Through this work it is my aspiration to make a small difference to the way people think and act.

Anna-Mia Milic

Birth of a forest

Pencil on cartridge

Birth of a Forest responds to the concept of the Natural Environment.  This image is the starting point for the body of work which explored the work of a Brazilian conservationist and his determination to replant an entire forest.  The egg represents new life and the fragility of the natural environment.  The beginning and the end are intertwined.  

Shannon Owst

Flowers of Earth I and II

Gouache’ on cartridge

Flowers of Earth I and II are part of a body of work which responds to the concept of the natural environment.  The flowers are the pure beauty of the Earth in its natural state.  The mottled colours of black and grey show the impact humans have had in such a brief time.  

Kayleigh Abbott

What is Beauty

Oil and conte on canvas

This self-portrait was in response to the Human Condition. It depicts my emotional state which often goes unseen by others, despite being largely affected by those around me. The work deals with my past experience of bullying and issues of body image, which still affects me today. The painting essentially shows the negative aspects of beauty and how stereotypes can destroy the confidence of those who don’t fit the unrealistic mould. 

Charles Upton

Toffee 

Discarded metal, welded                    

On a working property dogs are an integral part of life. They work with you as a part of a team to get jobs done.  They go everywhere – on the bike, in the ute, in the sheds and out in the paddock. They develop a unique bond with their owners. My dog Toffee works our property near Goondiwindi. This sculpture, made from discarded farm implements and assembled with a Mig welder and grinder gives new life and energy to rusting rubbish, but also acknowledges the important role dogs play in life on the land – as workmates and buddies.

Toby Weatherseed

صامت - “Silenced in Arabic”

Mixed Media

This work demonstrates the values and believes towards woman and children in countries such as Afghanistan. Different opinions can be seen from both themes of understanding in relation to the ongoing silencing of children and women in these developing countries. The work exhibits the views expressed by Taliban leaders resulting in a lack of freedom for children and women. The piece articulates different themes and opinions seen throughout this issue.

Zaymon Foulds-Cook

’Personus Technologica’.

Digital design on canvas

This artwork reveals our daily reliance on digital technology and also acknowledges the sense of freedom this technology can generate. The binary world enables us to adopt multiple personas to experience connection and creativity within the digital community. This image also seeks to challenge the audience to think futuristically about whether or not the ‘singularity’ will be achieved and if humans will actually want to integrate their thoughts and bodies with technology.

Eva Krepsova

Vereor: to respect, fear, dread

Graphite and ink

Artist statement: In this series I explored my fear of the unknown and embodied it in the 

representation of a jellyfish. This creature hints at the enormity of the ocean/sub-conscious 

and how at times fear can feel like it will almost tear us to pieces. I’ve relied on this surrealist 

device to conjure psychological memories in the viewer – a visceral trace of a nightmare image.  The basis of the drawing was inspired by Schiele’s artworks and his expressive use of line and  serendipitous ink work. I have worked with each separately and then interwoven the two using Photoshop to layer separate images.

Claire Dalton

Weak at the Trees

Manipulated Photography, Pencil, Watercolour, Ink

The title of the work represents how the power of nature can manipulate us to feel emotions deeply, and how we manipulate that feeling ourselves. Inspired by wanderlust, intrigue and enchantment with the natural world; this artwork is an indirect depiction of personal consciousness at the mercy of the physical world.

Emily Gill

Death Blossoms

Manipulated Photography

This artwork establishes the difference between growing old physically and growing old emotionally. I have photographed my grandmother in black and white to represent a fine form of old age. Contrasting with this, I have overlaid the clear, coloured image of flowers to represent youthfulness. Initially we start life as a bud and blossom into adults, when our time has peaked, we begin to deflate, crumple and eventually die. A metaphor for life’s journey.

Anna Lobwein

  The Fall

I have worked with a psychological context, 

trying to capture a particular state of being, that of potential unity. 

The watery effect evokes the symbolism of the unconscious and the two Koi 

fish are symbols of love, They stand opposite each other yin and yang like, in 

their separate frames over an abyss, perhaps about to dive – this is the moment 

before the sensation of falling; falling down, falling in love, falling through. 

The work is intentionally raw, both positive and negative, suggesting the states

 of love, letting go, trusting, potentially coming together; disappearing together.

Hannah Hori

Iris

Relief Unmanipulated Digital Photograph

Artist statement: Iris is an old lady I’ve known since birth.

She now lives with stage IV cancer. I wanted to convey my

experiences with losing loved ones through this disease. This is a raw

image with no modifications, special lighting, tripod or anything that might

 interfere with the reading of its intended meaning. My piece relies heavily

on serendipity; the way her hand is positioned on the bed is exactly how

 it was when I walked through the door to her room, the placement of the

blanket and the way she was positioned all contribute to the harmony of the

composition. The flowers that share the same name represent faith, hope

and wisdom; virtues Iris has embodied throughout her life.

Brooke Spain

Floral Body Vessels

Relief collage with paper cutouts, roots, insects and leaves

Artist statement: Our unrevealed Self is very delicate and fragile – much like
forming flowers. Our personality and beliefs change and grow over time too. We
must care for our inner self much like we tend a garden of flowers so they grow and
 manifest in the best way possible. I began with diagrammatic images of the spine,
 skull and pelvis and then overlaid each with a three-dimensional collage of paper
 flowers, insects and real roots, securing them with pins like an butterfly collection.

Laura Goodall

Stains

Mixed media: flower stains, graphite, gesso, digital imagery

Stains go deep and in making this work, I’ve looked at various kinds:
our tainted history, the taint of modern medicine as opposed to indigenous remedies
and how we abuse nature in our search for eternal youth.
All of these are indelible stains.

 My research lead me to examine the possibility of a fusion of Western and
Indigenous knowledge, while Helen Pynor’s work helped me see the essence of
illness and cures in a visual form.

In each work, a dried, pressed flower has undergone an alchemical
process – its essence has left a stain that speaks to all this searching.

Luke Brandon

Skin Deep

Mixed media on paper

‘Skin Deep’ reflects on how no matter who you are, or what you look like, we are all essentially the same beings.  It is only through learning that we start to label and see others differently.

This work explores how racism doesn’t exist without parents teaching us or through film and media portrayals.  We idolise stars for their characters and parts in films while forgetting that they are making us see people as different and in some ways stereotyped according to their skin colour and ethnicity.

Shae Collins

Ignorance is sin

Mixed media on paper

Through my artwork I wish to convey the devastating effect we have on the environment and how we as humans are ignoring the effects, even though they are clearly visible. Deforestation, oil pollution and increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are some of the problems that my work explores. I hope to capture the audiences attention through my bold and striking eyes and then draw attention to the messages revealed in the hair styles of my activists.

Taylah Collins

The fragility of the human condition

Mixed media on paper

My work explores the fragility of the human condition.  It doesn’t matter how strong you appear we are all fragile by nature and some more than others.  The brain and heart are symbolic of fragility because they are delicate organs and muscles that reflect our mind and soul.  I used natural objects to again represent the fragility of nature and the stitching, the delicate balance between them.

Taylor Curry

Dust of a Worthy Entity

Oil on Canvas

‘Dust Of A Worthy Entity’ identifies a loss of tradition and culture surrounding Native American Indians. The artwork has incorporated symbolic items and objects of Native American attitudes, values, and beliefs concerning their culture, religion, and tradition. These include Totem Animals, decorative traditional clothing, headgear, face paints, and beads. ‘Dust Of A Worthy Entity’ relates the instrumental member of a tribe; the medicine man, with a crow (Totem animal). The symbolic figure of the crow brings forth the spiritual and religious aspects of Native American culture. The shadowing and position of the crow illustrates the crow’s importance to the Indian’s life. It sits above the Indian had, leading, guiding and taking him beneath his wing, seen by the exaggeration of the crow’s wing span hovering over the medicine man. The use of the totem animal incorporates Native American’s religious traditions and spirituality, an important attitude and value to their way of life.

Thomas Williams

Little White Lie

Animation

‘Little White Lie’ conveys a boy suffering from compulsive lying. This is shown through a giant tree sprouting from his nose with reference to the child hood tale of Pinocchio. Throughout the tree, branches are pulled towards the boy’s face, each branch big or small representing a lie. Their angle makes them appear like an anchor, weighing the boy down.

Colleen Fisher

When You Look Do You See?

Mixed Media

As soon as we ‘look’, we judge. We don’t care to look further; to see beyond the surface; to try to understand the whole story. Instead we are quick to jump to assumptions without knowing anything about the person we are looking at. Now, switch roles. You hear the whispers; the laughter; suddenly the overwhelming feeling of loneliness engulfs you. You become part of the background, unnoticed, meaningless, a silhouette in the corner of someone else’s eye.

My work ‘When You Look, Do You See?’ focuses on developing this perception with each panel presenting the emotions unveiled as a result of exclusion and rejection. My work uses red and black string to define how the human mind works. At first glance we judge; looking at the mere surface; looking but not really seeing. The woven string symbolises the repeated behaviours. They become what we know, what we believe and eventually, who we are. We need to be able to cut these strings, exposing the truth. 

Steff Jones

Can’t Wrap Your Arms Around a Memory

Mixed Media

‘Cant Wrap Your Arms Around a Memory’ is a self-portrait. It contains aspects of me; my personality; my loves, my nightmares and my feelings.

The paintings on the wall were inspired by the tattoo art of Angelique Houtcamp. My love of tattoos and all they stand for drew me to her works. The paintings are full of symbolism and reflect parts of me. I have even morphed myself into the works, becoming the girls themselves.

In my bed side table are more of me; the insides; my deeper feelings. In my journal are poems and thoughts about times when I felt the pain that followed love and happiness. I never know how to explain my demons and my pain to anyone including doctors, family and friends.

This self-portrait is the closest I can get to it.

Nefeli Kritikos

Come Together

Pencil, watercolour, ink pen, white gel pen

‘Come together’ is a self-portrait bringing together all of me; my moods, emotions, strengths, weaknesses and desires, using animals to reflect the various aspects of my personality.

The macaw, with its wings outspread imply the fun and vibrant part of me. The owl, slightly under the wing of the macaw, reflects my curiosity and shyness and the panther symbolizes the fierce side of my nature.

The colours bursting from me show that I am full of life, passion and enthusiasm, with a willingness to explore and discover my full potential.

Tahlia De Petro

Skin Deep

Acrylics and mixed media on canvas

‘Skin Deep’ exposes the judgements we make as we go about our modern day ‘witch’ hunts.

Which witch?? The fat one, the thin one, the intellectually challenged, the physically disabled one, the shy one? Crows, thorns, rotting apples, nooses, wrinkles, warts…..all very stereotypical symbols I have used with which the viewer can associate. Subtle, they are not! Neither are the judgements of the narrow-minded who are so concerned with outward appearances.

Angel Nikijuluw

A Bad Channel

Digital Video and Sound

We are a forever growing, fast paced society that strives to industrialised and modernise large proportions of land, with the ultimate goal of establishing a ‘stable environment’ by possessing as much space as possible. In an attempt to keep up with the demands of the modern world we create more of an industrial jungle, rather than trying to preserve the natural environment we once had, as the soaring trees have ultimately been replaced by soaring towers. A Bad Channel deals with the environmental impacts in correspondence to factories, incorporating elements of ‘glitches’ in the images which implies the environment is simply becoming a ‘bad channel’. In each frame presented fragments of the opposite image are embedded to represent the overthrowing of the environment by factories.

Chanelle Hay

Suffocating Emotions

Digital Photographs on OHTS and Video

“It’s been three years. I didn’t realize until I stopped smoking pot/other drugs and drinking an obscene amount of alcohol on the weekends. Even though that sounds out of control it wasn’t really to me at the time. I was simply not allowing myself to feel what was really going on inside. My depression feels like I am being suffocated. Like there is an anvil on my chest that won’t go away. Nothing has a point or meaning anymore” Erika (2010).

Suffocating Emotions is a representation of such addictions which developed from my long term experience with depression and short term addiction, which were established from disappointment and pressuring expectations enforced by my family. Representing a distraction from reality, these images captured underwater reminisce on memories on learning how to swim with my mother, who was the first to be upset by my rebellious actions. As dissent and tension became constant occurrences in my life, I began to drift away from my family and friends. These suffocating and at times unbearable emotions distract oneself from the realities of life and as I try to symbolise the reoccurring waves of depression and addiction that has become my life.

Tiana Spicer

Toxic

Watercolour and Ink

People have no choice but to breathe the air which surrounds them, but in today’s society such a simple task as breathing has become highly dangerous. With an increase in the industrialisation of the world around us comes an upsurge in the levels of pollutants that are pumped into the atmosphere. My artwork titled Toxic is a visual representation of the physical, mental and emotional effects that pollution has on the population. Pollution not only harms us physically but mentally and emotionally, as scientific findings show that pollution is not only the cause of various cancers but also memory loss, anxiety and depression. My artwork aims to inform the viewer of such negative outcomes and present them with the realisation that, by exposing themselves, results that would usually be associated with pollution, could be devastating. 

Erin Swanson

Emergence is the central focus from which my artwork unfolds. The idea of the ephemeral stage of embryogenesis is extremely vulnerable; this aspect of the embryo has ultimately captivated my folio. At its essence my artwork structures a protective cast, which eventually develops and emerges into yet another stage. This stage fundamentally establishes ‘the being.

Kelly Nortje

Homeostasis is the central idea from which my work unfolds. This complex interaction within the human body maintains balance and restores systems to their normal state. These interactions within the body facilitate change, supporting physical and psychological functioning. The notions of replication and recreation, to maintain stability in the body, are most compelling for me. This body of work explores the human body and its intriguing ability to restore itself. The human body in its most simple, cellular form has been explored to unveil how the simplest form can find ways to repair recreate and regenerate. Application of layering through mixed media including hair, oils, wax, and water colours structures the intricate and fragile nature of the human body and its fascinating ability to achieve homeostasis

Susanna van Aswegen

This body of work, entitled Restoring the Enervated, explores the importance of the psychological state, focusing significantly on the fragility of the human mind as it undergoes the process of recuperation and regeneration, ultimately reaching the rediscovery of identity. The body of work reveals that which is not visible. The application of illusive elements, including stains, cracks, seeping paints and soot identify the emotional pain endured by individuals who suffer from mental afflictions. The body of work demonstrates the anguish and inner turmoil faced by the individual as they attempt to recollect themselves and regain a sense of contentment.

Victoria Jackson

This body of work represents youth and death, how the body can only restore itself to an extent and though we generally associate death and other degenerating factors with old age, this is not always the case. Children from the beginning of life can lose theirs. The body can only restore itself to an extent before it shuts down and cannot recover.

Emilee Todd

Nostalgia.

I focused and looked into ways of restoring recollections and memories that trigger a sentimental yearning for a time past. I achieved this by the use of aboriginal dreamtime dots, doylies, neuron imagery to convey the message of the importance to preserve and restore stains that have connections with our past. The memories and recollections we have from the past can be stored in something as simple as a photocopy or a scanning of a particular stain. This can be seen throughout my folio and allows the restoration of nostalgic stains to take place.

Sarah Gage

Indulgence

My artwork is based on the concept of "indulgence."  More specifically, it focuses on the materialism and cruelty associated with society's indulgence in exotic animals as fashion accessories. Society bombards us with fashion labels, iconic brand names and symbols but do we really know what is at stake when these so called “high end” fashion pieces are made? 

Tarni Eastwood

Wonders Of A Whiteboard

Stop Motion Animation

If my stop motion animation has a mission, it is this: to show how nothing is inanimate, everything has its own way of moving and creating a story. This animation was made entirely out of 700+ single shot photos put together to create illusion and movement.

Furthermore, I wanted my film to explore the distinction between the voyeur and the creator and creatively entice the audience to become part of the spectacle. Colour and movement are integral in creating a dynamic explosion of tangible paper shapes whilst the mundane whiteboard creates an optical illusion of visual reality.

Music and sound effects were overlayed to enhance the visual appeal and create a rhythmic beat and satirical connection to the inanimate objects.

Caitlyn Bosch

War: What Is It Good For?

Mixed media sculpture with artists’ books

My sculptural work conveys a socio-political narrative about the endless, continual production of war.  I feel as though humankind’s behaviour is so violent, so hateful and so merciless, that there is no hope for the future.  If the leaders of today continue to promote such inhumane practices, in endless cycles of devastation, we are doomed.    In my artists’ books, layers of palimpsestic imagery and fragmented text suggest the destruction caused by warfare. Children’s toy soldiers occupy and surround a tower constructed from children’s building materials, showing that war is accepted and encouraged, even in the very young.  Is there any hope that we can evolve as a species and learn from the historical mistakes that we have repeatedly made?  Can we stop promoting war as a game, especially to our young?  There is nothing good about war.  There are certainly no victors.

Jasmine Lyness

The Dreamer

Mixed media sculpture

My sculptural form “The Dreamer” conveys a narrative about the places we enter when asleep.  A series of nightmares and dreams emerge in pulses from the brain of the sleeper.  Fantastical, unexpected objects such as fairy-tale houses, treasure, spiders and tentacles represent the bizarre objects that occupy our sleeping subconscious. Flowers surrounding the dreamer are symbolic of the serenity and bliss that can be found when one enters the creative and imaginative realm of sleep.

Joanna Kearney

Material Obsessions

Framed photographs

My series of three photographic montages, titled “Material Obsessions” conveys a socio-cultural narrative about the consumerism of youth in contemporary society.  In each of the three panels I have gradually obscured the facial features of my models with the material objects that they most desire.  Each desire gradually builds up to become a mask or second skin.  The craving for designer goods and unnecessary objects gradually obliterates their true identity. 

Monica Balaz

Vanitas

Film

“Vanitas” is a symbolic film conveying a narrative about the transient and ephemeral nature of life.  My work suggests that the beauty of youth is tainted by the inevitability of death.  Portraits stare impassively at the viewer from within a skull.  Lush flowers gradually wither and decay.  Glowing candles, interspersed between the dying flowers, diminish and eventually die.  I invite my audience to consider the truth; that life is brief and death is sudden. 

Reynaldo Alcocer

Corrupted Youth

Mixed media on canvas

“Corrupted Youth” conveys a sociological narrative about the exploitation of youth in urban areas.  In our contemporary society, criminals are becoming progressively younger.  In my oval canvas, a large stomach, representing our violent and drug fuelled society, churns progressively younger violent offenders out.  Meanwhile, on my two rectangular canvases, cityscapes break down and the streets are inundated with crime.

Urick Salazar

 ‘Music’

Digital Illustration

'Music' is a triptych that represents the overwhelming and engaging experience when an individual listens to music. The middle canvas shows a boy wearing a pair of headphones with various images which explode outward from the headphones, album art on the left canvas and instruments on the right, while song lyrics are displayed in the background. The various images, instruments and lyrics immerse the boy into an environment of his own liking, blocking the outside world.

Samantha Levick

‘Thom Yorke’

Graphite on paper

‘Thom Yorke’ is pencil drawing depicting the musician Thom Yorke of the band Radiohead. It explores the concept of spirituality, commenting that spirituality can be found via mediums other than religion and religious imagery. In fact, for many people and certainly for thousands of musicians, music itself has taken the place of religion as it provides the same feeling of hope and belonging that religion does. 

Emilie Roberts

‘Face of Fear’  

Charcoal on paper

‘Face of Fear’ is a realistic portrait which conveys the irrepressible emotions and confronting expression of complete terror. In the portrait, the girl creates a visual representation of fear and shows how these innermost demons are detrimental to our being as she is completely consumed in these emotions. What we fear is what we become. 

Daniel Kenafake

 ‘Quietus’

Short Film

‘Quietus’ explores the common views towards the cycle of life and death, and how differently they are interpreted around the world. It also addresses whether we are evolving as we speak, with footage of other animals representing how we may grow closer with other creatures or evolve into something different. Over many years our atoms are spread across the planet contributing to the circle of life and eventually rejoining to form a new being, showing that without death there could not be life.

Maddison Watkins

Freedom and Dignity

Screen print with watercolour and ink

“The map of Gallipoli is fading in the background like a distant memory.  The Australian flag symbolises respect for our soldiers who fought in the war.  These soldiers are standing on the flag as a symbol of their foundations, and emphasise the fact that they gave our country freedom and dignity. The silhouette of the solider stands proud even though he is bent over helping a mate in need; this is part of the Australian vernacular, helping our mate who is “down and out”. The poppy represents the beautiful Flanders Field where many poppies grew.  Appropriated images and text are deliberately arranged to take the viewer on a journey around the page, through a series of meanings, focusing on symbols of national identity and the ANZACs.”

Appropriated silhouette of a soldier from a photograph belonging to the ADF The Courier Mail, April 11 2011 Page 7.

Kasia Barnett

"A burning fantasy of home”

Acrylic on canvas

This work, as the title suggests, aims to capture the final images and thoughts of a dying soldier – the final images of home. The exaggerated colours and shapes of the Australian bushland convey a sense of surrealism and fantasy. This is because the environment is a distorted image scoured from memories. The blank sheets of paper contain the last thoughts of the soldier: however, his words are unheard and unrecorded, and lost to the world like the thousands before him. The image is vivid but is burning fast as the fire representing mortality eats away at the identity of the dying soldier. My wish was to explore the concept of a journey of fleeting impressions and vivid memories.  My focus was Australian Identity and the ANZACs.

Isabella Fredheim

A Place at the Table

Digital Collage of Photographs with text elements

Women have been omitted from history. Fear of women is everywhere and this work explores that idea. I have appropriated da Vinci’s Last Super image to exploit the lack of a ‘place at the table for women even today, suggesting that is for fear rather than any other reason. Fear is the chain reaction in the brain, where the body releases chemicals in response to stimulus that is perceived to be threatening. Created using desaturated colours and contrast of lighting, my intention was to evoke a sense of anxiety and unease, reinforced by the rotting food on the table. 

Gemma Burlison

                                                One world – two lives                                               

Acrylic on Canvas

This piece was based on a picture that was recently taken when I was on a world challenge expedition to Borneo. This experience meant a lot to me as it was life changing and close to my heart. The experience really tested my abilities and changed my view on life. The photo that I chose to copy and paint was one of me holding a little local girl. This moment that was captured in this image was really inspirational for me as there was such a language barrier between the two of us. She knew no English yet she was so happy and forward at wanting to engage with me; and her feeling of happiness and appreciation radiated off of her. She was from one of the poorest parts of Borneo yet all of the local people made do and were happy despite their circumstances. The children there were so grateful and so happy that it made me really think about the important things in life. This picture captures the feeling of that afternoon, it holds the treasured moments that I had when helping these grateful people.

James Cowling

Tree of Knowledge

Acrylic and watercolour paint on canvas

This piece deals with the flow of knowledge about past family history that filters between families. The three main characters depicted are myself, in the centre, with my mother and father on either side. The use of the tree represents a family tree. The large fragments represent the sense of unknowing that comes from growing up away from close family members. The small coloured pieces represent the cluttered information, the lies and half-truths passed down through generations. While the white represents clear knowledge passed down. The two Dita Von Teese characters have been used to frame the central face, as if to announce “this is who I am”.

Sarah Lucas

Do you want to be someone else?

Digital projection

This piece explores the state of uncertainty and the aspiration of being or becoming like someone else.  Someone else encourages the viewer to question the development of their own identity and of others around them.  Who are you? Who am I? This piece aims to provoke the viewers thoughts on their own identity.  By taking the simple outline of a face, an array of different, but similar faces, has been generated.  Taking on altered features, colour schemes and visual details, each face is similar but distinguishably different.  The continually changing projection aims to play tricks on the mind and to blur the images into one, almost to the extent of an optical illusion or a hallucinogenic image.  The focal point of this piece is placed on the changing features, to influence the audience to question their own aspirations and opinions on uncertainty over identity.

Mhari-Claire Mc Ateer

Restraints

Watercolor, acrylic, acrylic enamels, varnish and charcoal

The increasing pressure and expectations associated with the need for me to make decisions about what I want to do with myself later in life and the ongoing feeling of confusion and lack of awareness of what I actually want often overshadow what is going on inside my head. I have all these ideas in my head for what I could do but they are not clear. My thoughts are jumbled and almost out of control. I feel as though I am waiting to get my life started. Slowly, however, I am emerging from the restraints associated with being a student and a member of a large family. I am beginning to find my own identity as an individual

Jin Su

Grace, Charm and Ingenue

Oil stick on paper

My work focuses on the iconic American actresses of The Golden Age of Hollywood; Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. They all are very representative of their times and of the Golden Age. Each of the three actresses is chosen specifically; Grace Kelly, because she signifies grace, Marilyn as she represents charm and Judy Garland as she is best known as an ingénue. My portraits embody the turbulent era of American cinema.

Brandon Power

Wave- breaker

Pencil and pen on paper

My drawings express my love of waves and the sense of freedom and exhilaration and completeness I experience in the surf. The nature of every wave is as unique as every individual fingerprint and so my work combines these two ideas into the one form. Through the repeated forms I have conveyed the ideas of the subtle differences between people and have also established waves as they roll toward shore as a set.

Dylan Harland

Blurred Vision

Acrylic paint monoprint on paper

Trying to find your true identity, to define who you are and to come to terms with that person is a universal challenge. I have used a spontaneous technique to depict this idea by representing a figure blurred by their surroundings. This communicates something of the struggle people encounter in trying to find their identity, their fight to be unique and to accept them-selves for who they are.

Molly Pryde

Re-Cycled, Re-Invented, Re-Surfersed

Robina State High School

Surfers Paradise is famous as a holiday destination, iconic for its beautiful beaches and skyscrapers. “Re-Cycled, Re-Invented, Re-Surfersed” presents two conflicting perspectives of this holiday mecca and I have endeavoured to probe beneath this facade within my work. The natural beauty of the environment is evidenced though the washed up driftwood, symbolic of what Surfers Paradise formerly was. Progress and man’s impact upon the environment has now generated a location where man-made structures dominate, a place that has become tainted and negatively remembered for its unruly nightlife rather than for its former existence. The constant construction and re-development in Surfers Paradise may be an attempt to re-cycle the old and once again, recreate the famous surf culture of yesteryear.

Kianu Stirling

Corrupted Data

Mixed Media

My artwork shows a fragmented city scape, a society symbolically rearranged and manipulated as if it were a pixelated image of corrupted data. We are living in the age of technology: inundated and overwhelmed with a flood of information from a wide array of sources that persuade and control us with conflicting ideas and media spin. The flames of distortion have been fanned and promoted by the corporate world, their transparent words of influence lingering in our minds - We are corrupted.

Kiowa Doyle

Picture Perfect

Graphite and Ink

Perfection is defined as “the condition, state, or quality of being free from all flaws or defects”. For decades models in the fashion industry have been perceived by women to be the perfect ‘image of beauty’. Women have been manipulated into thinking that this is the truest form of physical perfection and this has created a wave of insecurity among girls all over the world. My work captures the beauty of Daphne Groeneveld , an icon of today’s high fashion culture, and compares it to the vintage 1960’s classic beauty Twiggy.  The magazine cut outs are a subtle reminder that glossy Vogue magazine images provide girls today a false sense of ‘true beauty’.

Mihana Neylan

MRI teen brain

Ink and graphite

My artwork is inspired by the thought processes of young people as they grow and develop. The brain of a young adolescent is challenged on an everyday basis and is constantly growing emotionally, mentally and physiologically.  The face on the left side depicts a skull expressing the metal challenges teens face, like depression. The face on the right contradicts this with vibrant colour expressing a healthy brain. MRI scan colours have been used in this piece to reflect my concept.

Sophie Sammes

Luna-me-matic

Mixed media

This artwork questions the idea of our very existence. Where did we come from and what are we going to evolve to? There are many different theories surrounding this concept, my work focuses on my personal ideas and emotions based on this topic with Aliens and our Galaxy being my inspiration. The fluro colours signify characteristics of ‘outer space’ beings and the fear if this ‘idea’ is fact or fiction. The beading on my self-portrait is a representation of the solar system and Milky Way in which we live.

Stephanie Ribcak

Life without the native

Ink, pastel and acrylic paint

Deforestation is occurring on a mass scale in many parts of the world, including the Amazon Jungle, one of the most resource rich regions of the world.  Many acres of the Amazon Rainforest are being cleared at a very fast pace, destroying natural habitat, natural resources, creating loss of biodiversity and impacting culture. This work focuses on the displacement of indigenous people, as a result of loss of habitat and land. The Kayapo people have lived in the Amazon for thousands of years embracing a simple lifestyle and abundant Indian culture. The rainforest has served to protect them, nourish them and in turn they have protected the environment around them. My work expresses the culture of the Kayapo using bright and bold soft pastels, placing emphasis on the natural beauty of their tribe.

Ellen Smith

Madonna Louise Ciccone

Fine liner and water colour

Pop culture has revolutionised the world as we know it. One significant revolutionist is Madonna, an icon who pushed the boundaries of fashion, music and social acceptance. In her era of prominent fame, Madonna caused a lot of controversy as her ‘image’ was highly criticised by the church, members of society and those who found her and her work confronting.  But society has evolved immensely since her time of international phenomenon, and her so called controversial persona is now recognized as a somewhat weak challenge to the norm. Madonna’s iconic image is now considered a normality in the 21st century as we, as society, have become desensitised to eccentric behaviours.  My work is a reflection of Madonna’s rise to fame and the tests and tribulations in her  process of becoming the Queen of Pop

Annabel Webster

‘Towards the Sunlight’

Mixed media on canvas

All people share the same basic need: to belong and feel loved. But through the media’s capitalisation of pressures we face, such as being popular, successful and independent, we are often left feeling inadequate and depressed when we don’t measure up to their myth of ‘perfection’. We become trapped in chains created by our constant fear of being an outcast and unacceptable.

It is only when we realise that although frightening, this reality does not have to be controlling. It is through having the courage to face this world of peer pressure that one is able to escape it. The girl throughout my body of work shows this journey - letting go of her chains through bravery and belief, in order to gain freedom and become her true self.

I have been able to portray a depth of emotion over three canvases through aesthetic qualities. My stylised character, inspired by the Japanese ‘anime’ style of drawing leads the viewer through a story – fading from a dark, cold world of despair to one filled with beauty and the warmth of the sunlight. 

Chantelle Hollander

Fortune or Direction

Plywood, acrylic paint, pastel

The main focus of my artwork is alternate futures. When someone is told that they are limited to one future, it is their choice whether or not to follow or disregard what they have been told. I chose to create my body of work as a lenticular painting to physically display the consequences or benefits of making a decision for the future. By viewing the artwork straight on it appears as a jumble – it is difficult to foretell the future. However, once a decision is made to step left or right, the future becomes clear and focused. The tarot cards represent the idea of letting yourself be influenced by insignificant things. Tarot cards themselves are harmless, and the practice of reading tarot cards is misunderstood by most. All tarot cards - no matter how menacing some may appear - have neutral definitions. It only depends on what question is asked as to if the answer will be good or bad.

Katie Page

Finite Eternity (2013)

Ink and Impasto on X-ray film.

‘Finite eternity’ challenges the appeal to immortality. The idea of eternal life is one of mystery and is desired by most at some point in their own short lives. The immortal jellyfish is an anomaly in the animal kingdom as it is able to revert back to its most juvenile stage, and thus repeat it’s life cycle. Popular sci-fi series, Doctor Who for example is based around a Time Lord who has the same capability as the immortal jellyfish, his native language demonstrated through the circular motifs repeated throughout my piece. Though these two examples theoretically are able to avoid death, they fail to do so. Whether it is bad plankton that kills the jellyfish or the untimely extermination of the Doctor, the final destination for the eternal is still mortality.

Jody Wasley

Hallucinations

Wire, pegs and rope assemblage sculpture

‘Hallucinations’ is an assemblage sculpture that is focused on the psychotic disorder Schizophrenia. The sculptures represent the visual hallucinations that can occur for a person who suffers from Schizophrenia. The sculptures are made with materials that reflect restriction. Having three different depictions expresses that Schizophrenia doesn’t stop at one hallucination; the victim may constantly experience more intense hallucinations of varying creatures during a psychotic episode.   

Nicole Simmons

Expression

Coloured pencil and fake grass assemblage sculpture

‘Expression’ is a reminder of how people with hearing and vision impairment rely on their hands to communicate and understand the world. The coloured pencils are a representation of hand expressions which have been glued together, carved and constructed into braille. The braille spells the word voice which implies that the hands act as a tool for many people in society to understand, express and communicate with others. The vibrations are a reminder of how some people with a hearing impairment often sense different sounds. This work was created for people to interact with. Feel free to touch and imagine life without sound or visuals. 

Ebony Hunt

In My Dreams

Wire assemblage sculpture

‘In Your Dreams’ is an assemblage sculpture made from wire. It is a representation of the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) inspired by a personal nightmare experience. The nightmares involve giants chasing me, confronting me through walls, trees, roofs and other objects. The wire represents a fence that traps us in a state of mind that we are often trying to escape from.

Jesse Blackley

War Horse 

Wood and plastic gun assemblage sculpture

‘War Horse’ was created in order to convey the message about the persistence of war and conflict throughout the world. Through the use of raw materials such as wood and metal a mighty stead of war was constructed. These materials were purposely chosen as they are essential in modern warfare and are used daily by militia around the world. The idea of the horse signifies the hardworking war machines and armies that risk everything on a daily basis for their country. The plastic firearms show the basic tools of warfare whilst the toy soldiers signify the men and women who travel "along for the ride" on this harsh and brutal way of life.

Michael Pederson

Fishbone

Foam and wood sculpture

‘Fishbone’ is a visual representation of Pacific Islander and Polynesian cultures. The 3D symbol of a surfboard has been appropriated into a new symbol of the fishbone. The idea behind the work is simple. It marries the ‘notions of the ocean’ and tribal iconography to become an aesthetically pleasing work. The board was carved out of left over, useless surfboard blanks and sculpted to have the appearance of solid wood.

Breanna Shaw

Cyclical frames

Digital prints on canvas

‘Cyclical frames’ is a visual response to the idea of ‘sublime in the revealed world’. It examines the physical world, as we know it, changing before our eyes. The idea of sublime is interpreted to mean ‘beauty’. The beauty that was abundant now seems less common and taken for granted in the western world. The motif of a woman’s face remains melancholy as the environment surrounding her changes to something functional yet dreary.

Melody Davis

Wrapped and Trapped

My work explores the concept of human trafficking. Each victim is marketed, promoted and sold as if they were meat. Human trafficking is an issue that frustrates me, and has been since a young age. What frustrates me more is that today's society is naive at the fact that it's on the doorstep of Australia. 

My artwork explores the trade through strong symbolism. The water represents in the series is used as a strong motif; symbolising suffocation and asphyxiation

Shana Howie

Classic Barbie

Black and white photographs

‘Classic Barbie’ examines the cliché of a Barbie as something commonsense and obvious to our society. Beauty is a sublime notion; beyond measure and subjective. Yet something about Barbie has made her a timeless icon for femininity and beauty for the last four decades. The black and white photographs capture Barbie as if she were alive. The three photographs are a representational portrait of this ‘femme fatale’. What she represents is debated and negated; yet she still has a powerful hold on us.

Noah Hunter  Dorsey

Coming of Age

Video

“Coming of age” is a visual-audio collage of human thoughts and emotions. Exploring the coming of age for a boy/man, the short film uses cinematic metaphors to convey a transition in a human’s life. Time-lapse photography and underwater camerawork are used to symbolize time and change. A particular emphasis is put on the transition of both visual and audio aspects to stay true to the underlying message. Slow, progressive sound textures accompany the video. These musical movements are subtle, but stay true to the visuals.

Ana Regalado

The Calavera

Graphite pencil

“On the time scale of the history of the earth an individual human lifetime is a mere blink of an eye. We’re born, we live, and we die. Death is like a dreamless sleep from which we will never awake. Our consciousness snuffed out forever. In a few centuries even our tombstones will be unreadable due to weathering; our skeletal remains will be all that is left of us.”

‘The Calavera’ questions the concept of mortality, the meaning of life, death, and how time will catch up to us. Being born in El Salvador further influenced the meaning of this artwork with our participation in the Day of the Dead festival. Skulls were kept as trophies and displayed during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. ‘The Calavera’ plunges into my past experiences, my childhood memories of my home, and explores the concept of death and its influences in society today.

Carla Simpson

New York

Photography(Triptych)

I have always been attracted the stark beauty of New York City and I was fortunate enough to visit this amazing place with my family at the start of this year.  I originally took a series of photos while I was on holidays that addressed the monumental nature of the architecture within the city.  Rather then just submit still images I wanted to focus on the movement and energy of New York, I did this by exploring a range projection techniques.  There is no digital editing done to these photographs, only physical manipulation using projection and moving figures.  Throughout the term I experimented with a range of different projections onto bodies and found that the movement in the photographs was much more effective than a still body.